London's Horniman Museum to return Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

FILE PHOTO: A general view shows the central business district in Nigeria's commercial capital of Lagos, Nigeria February 10, 2019. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - London's Horniman Museum said on Sunday it would return 72 artefacts, including 12 brass plaques known as Benin Bronzes, looted from Benin City by British soldiers in 1897 to the Nigerian government.

Created from brass and bronze in the once mighty Kingdom of Benin in what is now southwestern Nigeria from at least the 16th century onwards, the Benin Bronzes are among Africa's most culturally significant artefacts.