File Photo/ Benin Bronzes

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, United States, has returned two Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, marking another major step in the country’s decades-long effort to reclaim looted cultural heritage.

Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) announced the development late Monday, describing it as a significant milestone for the nation.

Olugbile Holloway, the NCMM Director-General, said the return represents “the return of a huge part of Nigeria’s history,” stressing that the moment is “symbolic to Benin” and also “symbolic to Nigeria’s struggle.”

The Benin Bronzes—hundreds of intricately crafted plaques and sculptures—were seized by British forces in 1897 after the invasion of the Benin Kingdom, in present-day Edo State. The priceless artefacts, some dating back to the 1500s, were taken as spoils of war and dispersed across museums and private collections worldwide.

In recent years, museums in Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, and other Western nations have returned hundreds of bronzes, though many more remain missing.

Nigeria’s Minister of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, hailed the Boston return as a “historic moment.” She said ongoing negotiations with foreign institutions show promise, expressing optimism that “the process of returning them all to their rightful owners will begin soon.”