Olugbile Holloway Leads Charge for Benin Bronze Repatriation

In 1897, British troops sacked Benin City, in modern-day Nigeria, and seized approximately 5,000 artifacts collectively known as the Benin Bronzes. After decades of repatriation efforts, many of these looted objects remained in museums across Europe and the United States. However, in 2021, a significant shift began as governments and institutions started returning the artifacts.

Last June, Olugbile Holloway, the director-general of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, facilitated one of the largest single repatriations of these looted bronzes, bringing 119 objects back from the Netherlands. In February, Holloway also oversaw the return of over 100 artifacts from the University of Cambridge to Nigeria.

According to Chika Okeke-Agulu, an expert in African diaspora art history, the recent historic agreements are attributed to Holloway’s success in clarifying ownership claims for the bronzes, both within Nigeria and internationally. Holloway, who has a background in corporate advertising, stated that he and the Benin Oba, or monarch, developed a 20-page agreement detailing shared responsibilities for the future care of the artifacts. This unified approach, he explained, enabled the Nigerian government to present a cohesive request to the Netherlands for the bronzes' return.

Holloway is now focusing his efforts on negotiating the future of Nigerian antiquities held by the British Museum, which is legally restricted from selling or otherwise permanently disposing of items in its collection of bronzes. His work has earned him recognition as one of the 100 most influential people in art for 2026.