Cambridge University to return over 100 looted artifacts to Nigeria

More than 100 artifacts taken by British armed forces during the sacking of Benin City in 1897 are set to be returned by the University of Cambridge to Nigeria.

According to The Guardian, the artifacts, with claims for their restitution dating back to the mid-20th century, are mostly made of brass but also include some ivory and wooden objects.

In the 1897 attack, the British burned the city's palace and exiled Benin's Oba, or king. During the attack, thousands of brasses and other work, known collectively as the "Benin bronzes", were taken and later sold off in London.

Later on, the artifacts were scattered around the world in museums in the UK, Europe, and the US.

With the increasing pressure to return the artifacts, the announcement from Cambridge comes as no surprise.

"The Charity Commission has considered and approved the return of 116 historical objects, often referred to as the Benin bronzes, from the University of Cambridge's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology to the National Commission of Museums and Monuments (NCMM) of Nigeria," said a  university spokesperson.

"The university is now working with the commission to finalise the next steps regarding these Benin bronzes, and we will communicate these in due course."

However, she added that some artifacts will remain in Cambridge "on extended loan" to ensure "this west African civilisation continues to be represented in the museum's displays, and in teaching for school groups".

She explained: "Those that return physically will be transferred to the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, as is required legally by the Republic of Nigeria, and an approach formally supported by the Oba of Benin."

In July, Germany returned two bronzes and put more than 1,000 other items from its museums' collections into Nigeria's ownership.

In October, the culture minister of Nigeria, Lai Mohammed, urged the British Museum to follow the example of the Smithsonian Institution, which returned ownership of 29 Benin bronzes to Nigeria.

It followed a formal request last year by Mohammed's ministry for the return of Benin artifacts from the British Museum. Referring to their return he said: "It's not if, it's when."

He added: "They will eventually have to return these because the campaign is gaining strength by the day and, when they look at what other museums are doing, they will be compelled to return them."

In December, the chair of the British Museum, George Osborne, had held talks with the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, regarding the possible return of the Parthenon marbles, reports The Guardian.

Downing Street has said there were no plans to change the law that prevents the British Museum from handing the Parthenon marbles back to Greece.