In August, the Horniman Museum and Gardens in London announced that it would transfer a collection of 72 Benin Bronzes to the Nigerian government.
Nigeria will loan seven Benin Bronzes to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art (NMAfA) for the next five years.
The seven bronzes are among the 29 recently repatriated artefacts.
The Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Abba Tijjani, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Washington DC.
NMAfA, in a joint ceremony, collectively transferred ownership of 29 Benin bronzes to NCMM on Tuesday.
The director general said the ceremony was important for Nigeria because the country wanted to tell the world that some countries had responded positively to the repatriation of stolen artefacts from Nigeria.
“Many museums are responding positively, and it is the right thing to do for any museum of a country because you cannot illegally take artefacts away from their original place, display them in your museums.
Mr Tijani said Nigeria was willing to partner with any museum or institution willing to repatriate the country’s artefacts to give some of those objects on loan for a certain period.
According to him, Nigeria is willing to give some of the objects on loan in such cases that will allow a display of moral and ethical ways.
Mr Tijani also confirmed to NAN that a piece of Benin Bronze called the “Head of a King” which had been in the collection of the Rhode Island Museum for more than 70 years was returned to the Nigerian government on Tuesday.
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