Germany returns Nigerian bronzes as it addresses its ‘dark colonial past’

Benin bronzes looted in the past and returned to Nigeria are examined during a handing over ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria, Tuesday, December 20, 2022 (Olamikan Gbemiga/AP/PA)

Germany returned 20 historic bronze sculptures to Nigeria as part of efforts to address its “dark colonial past”, the German foreign minister has said.

Annalena Baerbock returned the prized cultural artefacts to Nigerian officials in a ceremony in the capital Abuja. The sculptures, known as Benin bronzes, were looted from the West African country when it was under colonial rule.