Germany signs an agreement to return stolen Benin artifacts

According to Reuters, Germany has signed an agreement that will see the return of Benin Bronzes looted in the nineteenth century from the Kingdom of Benin, a former British colony that is now part of Nigeria.

The agreement was signed on Thursday by the Foundation of Prussian Cultural Heritage of the German Federal Government and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments of Nigeria.

The artifacts, which date back to the 13th century, were looted by British soldiers and are now on display in museums throughout Europe and the United States.

Approximately 512 objects will be transferred from Berlin's Ethnological Museum collection to Nigeria, while one-third of the treasures will remain on loan at Berlin's Humboldt Forum.

"This represents the future of the artefacts issue; a future of museum collaboration, a future of giving respect and dignity to the legitimate requests of other nations and traditional institutions," NCMM's Abba Isa Tijani said.