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Nigeria’s Museum Agrees with Royal Ruler on Custody of Benin Bronzes 

Examples of Benin bronzes which, together with collections such as the Parthenon sculptures, are the subject of talks of their return to countries of origin, are displayed at the British Museum in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. (Reuters) 
Examples of Benin bronzes which, together with collections such as the Parthenon sculptures, are the subject of talks of their return to countries of origin, are displayed at the British Museum in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. (Reuters) 
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Nigeria’s Museum Agrees with Royal Ruler on Custody of Benin Bronzes 

Examples of Benin bronzes which, together with collections such as the Parthenon sculptures, are the subject of talks of their return to countries of origin, are displayed at the British Museum in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. (Reuters) 
Examples of Benin bronzes which, together with collections such as the Parthenon sculptures, are the subject of talks of their return to countries of origin, are displayed at the British Museum in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. (Reuters) 

Nigeria's national museum commission will be responsible for retrieving and keeping priceless Benin Bronzes, taking on the task with the assent of the royal ruler appointed sole owner and custodian of the objects nearly two years ago, its head said.

Nigeria is on a quest to recover thousands of intricate bronze sculptures and castings that were looted by British soldiers during a raid on the then-separate Kingdom of Benin, located in what is now southwestern Nigeria, in 1897.

The stolen bronzes are among Africa's finest and most significant heritage objects and are mostly in Europe.

In March 2023, then-president Muhammadu Buhari signed a decree saying the Oba, or king, of the historic kingdom of Benin rightfully owned all returned Benin Bronzes and was responsible for managing all places where the artifacts are kept.

Olugbile Holloway, director general of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), told Reuters that the Oba did not have the infrastructure to care for the bronzes.

"So, the Oba has given the NCMM the blessing to display, conserve and to pursue reparation of these objects. So, there is no more ambiguity," said Holloway.

In 2023 the NCMM had said the University of Cambridge's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology put on hold plans to return more than 100 artifacts after the government decree.

Holloway, however, said it was now a matter of time before an agreement would be reached with Cambridge University for the artifacts' return.

"The return of these objects is not just about displaying them in the museum or taking care of them. It is about the dignity of our people and undoing the injustice of 1897," he said.

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Ancient Bronze Griffin Head Is Returned to Greece from New York in Major Repatriation Move

The head of a griffin, that was repatriated from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, is displayed at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia in Ancient Olympia, Greece, on Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP)
The head of a griffin, that was repatriated from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, is displayed at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia in Ancient Olympia, Greece, on Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP)
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Ancient Bronze Griffin Head Is Returned to Greece from New York in Major Repatriation Move

The head of a griffin, that was repatriated from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, is displayed at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia in Ancient Olympia, Greece, on Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP)
The head of a griffin, that was repatriated from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, is displayed at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia in Ancient Olympia, Greece, on Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP)

New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art has returned an ancient bronze griffin head stolen nearly a century ago to a museum in southern Greece, the latest repatriation marking a broader shift in the museum world to return significant artifacts.

The 7th century B.C. artifact was on display at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia, the city that in ancient times was the birthplace of the games that later inspired the modern Olympic Games.

Greece’s culture minister, Lina Mendoni, attended a ceremony Friday at the museum, calling the return a significant moment.

“After decades of absence, the griffin returns from the Metropolitan Museum in New York to the place it belongs,” she said, praising the joint effort by the Culture Ministry and the Met to trace the artifact’s past. The ceremony coincided with a visit to Greece by members of the International Olympic Committee to elect a new president. Kirsty Coventry became the first woman and first African to lead the global body.

The griffin, a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, symbolized strength and divine protection in ancient Greece. The bronze head will now be displayed alongside a similar griffin head already at the Olympia museum.

The Met has recently increased its efforts to review the history of its holdings, hiring additional experts to track the origins of objects in its collection.

“We are grateful for our long-standing partnership with the Greek government and look forward to continued engagement and cultural exchange,” the Met's museum director Max Hollein said in a statement.

Institutions across the world in recent years have begun to acknowledge the importance of returning significant cultural items while still promoting global access to heritage. As part of this new framework, Greece has agreed to loan the griffin head back to the Met for future exhibitions, Mendoni said.

Athens is hoping the new, more open approach will boost its decades-long campaign for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures, taken from the Acropolis in Athens in the 19th century and now in the British Museum. The government — citing their cultural importance and illegal removal — says it is making slow progress in negotiations with the London museum.