Dispute clouds return of Benin Bronzes

A dispute between Nigerian leaders could jeopardise plans for the return of some of Africa's most famous artefacts, the Benin Bronzes, which were looted during the colonial era and are stored in Western museums. The Bronzes, thousands of metal sculptures and ivory carvings, were seized from Benin – in what is today Edo State in southern Nigeria – by a British military force in 1897. BBC News reports that Germany this year said it wanted to give back hundreds of Benin Bronzes, and several museums in the UK have made similar commitments. Ewuare II, the great-great grandson of King Oba who was toppled by the British, has warned of an attempt by an ‘artificial group’ to ‘divert’ the return of the Bronzes. The Legacy Restoration Trust plans to put the Bronzes in the Edo Museum of Western African Art. ‘The right and only legitimate destination’ for the Bronzes would be a Benin Royal Museum within the palace grounds,’ he said.