The Federal Government on Monday recorded another major step in its cultural restitution drive as the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy received two Benin Bronzes repatriated from the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston, United States.

The returned artifacts — a bronze relief plaque and a commemorative head — were handed over to the ministry by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Both pieces were among the numerous treasures looted during the 1897 British invasion of the Benin Kingdom.

Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, who received the items, commended the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, for facilitating the process. Describing the return as a landmark achievement, Musawa said the government is intensifying engagements with other global institutions that still hold Nigerian artifacts.

“This is a historic moment for Nigeria, the ministry, and the good people of the Benin Kingdom,” she said. “We are in continued discussion with several institutions, and very soon the process of returning all these objects to their rightful owners will begin.”

The Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Olugbile Holloway, also lauded the coordinated efforts that made the repatriation possible, acknowledging NCMM staff and His Royal Highness Prince Aghatise Erediauwa, who has long championed the restitution campaign.

“What we are witnessing today is the return of a significant part of Nigeria’s history,” Holloway said. “While this moment is especially symbolic for the Benin Kingdom, it represents a broader national struggle for restitution. We have objects from other ancient centres such as Ife, so this event carries weight beyond the size of this gathering.”

The symbolic handover, conducted in the presence of three high chiefs representing the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, was confirmed in a statement by the Special Adviser to the Minister, Nneka Anibeze.

According to Arts Newspapers in the United States, the MFA, Boston formally returned the two pieces during a ceremony at the Nigeria House in New York in June 2025. Delivering the artifacts, MFA Director Matthew Teitelbaum said the institution was “deeply gratified” to return the objects after holding them in trust for 12 years.

The Benin Bronzes — a world-renowned collection of over 2,000 brass and bronze artworks — were taken during the punitive British expedition of 1897 and dispersed across museums in Europe and North America.

Nigeria has in recent years intensified diplomatic engagements with museums in the United States, United Kingdom and Europe to secure the return of the looted works. The latest repatriation follows a 2023 Memorandum of Understanding between Nigeria and the United States to strengthen cultural cooperation and facilitate the return of stolen artifacts.

The development reinforces the Federal Government’s renewed commitment under President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda to recover Nigeria’s cultural heritage and strengthen national identity.