The Netherlands said Wednesday it was returning more than 100 “Benin Bronzes” to Nigeria that British troops looted in the late 19th century and ended up in a Dutch museum.

The European country stated this in a statement on Wednesday, saying the move followed a request by the Nigerian government.

Some of the stolen Benin Bronzes are expected to be repatriated from Netherlands.

The 113 pieces are the biggest haul returned to Nigeria from the 1897 raid, said Olugbile Holloway, Director General of the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

“At the request of Nigeria, the Netherlands is returning 113 ‘Benin Bronzes’ from the National Collection. Minister Eppo Bruins (OCW) has decided to return them,” the statement read.

According to the statement, the transfer agreement will be signed on Wednesday by the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture, and Science, Eppo Bruins, and the Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Olugbile Holloway.

“With this return, we are contributing to the redress of a historical injustice that is still felt today,” said Dutch Culture, Education, and Science Minister Eppo Bruins.

The Netherlands’ return of these artefacts follows similar ones by other countries, such as Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

British soldiers stole the ancient sculptures, including depictions of royal figures and animals, in 1897 from the Kingdom of Benin in modern-day Nigeria.

However, the British Museum in London has refused to return any of its famed collection. A law passed in 1963 technically prevents the museum from giving back the treasures.

The treasures were then sold and had been displayed at the Wereldmuseum (World Museum) in Leiden.

The return of the 119 artefacts is the “largest repatriation of Benin antiquities”, said Olugbile Holloway, director-general of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM).

The sculptures, prized for their beauty and technical artistry, are of spiritual and historical significance for the people from that part of Nigeria.

Their theft still remains a point of pain for the descendants of those from the ancient Benin kingdom.

This move may increase pressure on other institutions to return the Benin Bronzes, especially the British Museum, which has over 900 artefacts.

Protests and demonstrations have taken place outside the British Museum as part of a campaign for their return.

However, an act of parliament prevents the British Museum from sending them back.

For many in Nigeria, the Benin Bronzes are a potent reminder of the violence of colonialism.

The NCMM has issued formal repatriation requests to museums across the world.

Nigeria said it plans to open the Edo Museum of West African Art in Benin City in 2026, designed by the British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, to house the largest collection of Benin Bronzes ever assembled.