Cambridge University to return 100 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

Cambridge University’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology will return around 100 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria within months, The Art Newspaper reported on 9 February 2026, following a 2022 claim by Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) seeking the return of 116 objects taken during the 1897 sacking of Benin City. The restitution was delayed amid uncertainty after Nigeria’s then president Muhammadu Buhari transferred ownership of returned bronzes in March 2023 to Ewuare II, the oba of Benin, after Germany agreed in 2022 to transfer ownership of 1,100 works. Museum director Nicholas Thomas said Cambridge paused until a clearer framework emerged, and that the university council confirmed in July (the previous year) that the ownership transfer should proceed. Sixteen bronzes will remain in Cambridge on loan, while disputes in Nigeria have also affected plans for display, including a stalled “royal museum” and disruption around the planned Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) opening in Benin City.

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