A US court has dismissed a case challenging the repatriation of 29 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria.
A court order signed by a US district judge, Christopher Cooper, and obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday offered more insight.
The Benin Bronzes have long been the centre of restitution debates.
The Benin Bronze comprises artefacts and artworks plundered during the British raid on the Kingdom of Benin in 1897.
The royal palace was burned and looted during the raid, and the Oba went into exile. At the same time, an estimated 3,000 Benin Bronzes eventually made their way into museums and private collections worldwide.
Over the past few years, the Nigerian government has engaged their foreign counterparts in returning cultural artefacts, most of which they stole during the colonial era.
About five countries – The Netherlands, Mexico, Scotland, The UK, and Germany – have returned or agreed to return the artworks domiciled in their country.
The repatriation is part of a…