Two Benin Bronzes looted by British troops in 1897 have been returned to Nigeria by a British pensioner, Mark Walker, whose grandfather participated in the raid. The artifacts—a long-beaked bird and a monarch's bell—were handed over during a ceremony in Benin City in June 2014. Following the return, Nigerian officials, including Prince Edun Akenzua, renewed calls for the British Museum to repatriate its collection of some 800 Benin Bronzes, which remain on display in London.
The return of these two pieces reignites the long-standing restitution debate over the Benin Bronzes, one of the most high-profile cases of colonial-era looted art. Nigeria's appeal to the British Museum underscores the ongoing tension between Western institutions that claim to present artifacts in a global context and source communities seeking to reclaim cultural heritage. The British Museum has stated it has not received an official request, but the case highlights the broader movement for repatriation of African artifacts held in European museums.