A London museum returns 19th century artifacts to Nigeria

MADRID, 29 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Horniman museum in London has begun this Monday the process of returning pieces from the 19th century looted by British troops to Nigeria, their place of origin.

The gallery, located in south-east London, is returning a total of 72 items, following a formal ceremony held Monday evening in the presence of Nigerian royalty, transferring ownership to Nigeria unconditionally.

Horniman thus becomes the first museum in the United Kingdom to officially take such a measure.

The head of the National Commission of Museums and Monuments of Nigeria, Abba Tijani, has affirmed to the BBC that the transfer of the looted objects is "a great day", while he has expressed that he hopes that other museums feel encouraged by the example of Horniman, reports 'The Guardian'.

In particular, Tijani has indicated that he could soon reach an agreement with the British Museum, which owns 900 pieces, has a large proportion of objects from Benin.

For his part, the director of the Horniman, Nick Merriman, explained that after a detailed investigation "there was no doubt that they had been looted, so there was a moral argument for their return."

"I think we are seeing a turning point not only around restitution and repatriation, but also in museums recognizing their colonial history, and that is better history," Merriman added, as reported by the BBC.

Despite these statements, the museum director has qualified that his museum has been able to withdraw items from its collection because it is a charity, while those that are not are subject to legislation that prevents them from taking such action.

The British Museum is, in fact, prohibited by Parliament from "withdrawing access" to items in its collections, except in very specific circumstances.

The works of art in Benin were forcibly removed in 1897 as part of a British military expedition. The British Army then occupied the city of Benin, in current Nigerian territory.

The African country had claimed the pieces because it considers that "the objects were acquired by force."