Nigeria, Switzerland Parley on Return of Looted Artefacts

Nigeria and Switzerland have opened formal negotiations on the repatriation of looted Nigerian artefacts currently housed in Swiss museums, including ancient monoliths and Benin bronze pieces.

The discussions were confirmed after a courtesy visit to Abuja by Swiss Ambassador Patrick Felix Egloff, who met with Nigeria’s Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa. Ambassador Egloff noted that efforts to facilitate the restitution began about three years ago and expressed optimism that some of the artefacts could be returned through Nigeria’s Embassy in Switzerland before the end of the year.

Minister Musawa welcomed the development, describing it as an important milestone in Nigeria’s long campaign to reclaim cultural treasures taken during colonial times. She stressed that the return of such artefacts is vital to restoring Nigeria’s cultural pride and heritage, while also deepening bilateral cooperation in the creative economy, tourism, and heritage preservation.

Switzerland has faced growing pressure to review its colonial-era collections. Recent provenance studies have shown that many of the Benin Bronzes and related objects in Swiss institutions were looted during the 1897 British invasion of the Benin Kingdom. Some museums acknowledged that nearly a quarter of their Benin collections were conclusively looted, with many more likely taken under similar circumstances.

The Swiss government, working with Nigerian experts through the “Swiss Benin Initiative,” has already taken steps to open dialogue on restitution. Cultural forums such as Restitution and Beyond have helped foster collaboration between Nigerian cultural authorities and Swiss curators, emphasizing the need for transparency and respectful heritage repatriation.

For Nigeria, the talks add momentum to its wider repatriation efforts. In recent years, Germany, the Netherlands, and other countries have committed to returning significant numbers of Benin Bronzes, while the National Commission for Museums and Monuments has partnered with the Oba of Benin to oversee their custody. The newly built Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) in Benin City has been designed with state-of-the-art conservation facilities to house these treasures.

The prospective return of Nigerian artefacts from Switzerland marks another victory in the global campaign to address historical injustices tied to colonial looting. For Nigeria, it represents not just the recovery of objects, but also the restoration of cultural identity and history for future generations.