NIGERIA-CULTURE-ARTS-NETHERLANDS

National Museum exhibition officers adjust the Head of a the king Oba of Benin (L), the Bird of Prophecy (2nd L), the Statue of a Leopard (2nd R), and the Carved Elephant Tusk (R), all returned artefacts from the "Benin Bronzes" collection at the signing ceremony and handover of the 119 Benin bronzes returned from the Netherlands to Nigeria at the National museum Onikan in Lagos on June 21, 2025. Netherlands on Saturday officially handed back to Nigeria 119 precious ancient sculptures, stolen from the former kingdom of Benin more than 120 years ago during the colonial era. It is the latest return of artefacts to Africa, as pressure mounts on Western governments and institutions to hand back the spoils of colonial oppression. (Photo by TOYIN ADEDOKUN / AFP) (Photo by TOYIN ADEDOKUN/AFP via Getty Images)