Cockerel ‘Okukur’ bronze stolen in 1897 by British colonial forces returned to Nigeria

A bronze sculpture that was among hundreds of Benin Bronzes looted by British troops in 1897 has been given back to Nigeria by a college at the University of Cambridge. Having crushed Benin’s resistance to its expansionist move, the eventual conquest of Benin by British forces was characterized by large scale systematic destruction and looting.

During the invasion of Benin in 1897 by British troops the sculpture locally called “Okukur”, was stolen and brought to Britain. It was said to be given later to Jesus College in 1905 by the father of a student, BBC reported.

The college’s Legacy of Slavery Working Party had in 2019 concluded that the cockerel “belongs with the current Oba at the Court of Benin.”

Professor Abba Isa Tijani, the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments representative at the handover ceremony, said, “It gives me great pleasure and honour to be here at the Jesus College, Cambridge. To be part of this ceremony of doing what is right, you know, what is supposed to be done for the Nigerian people, that such an artefact of history and tradition of Benin kingdom is going back to Nigeria.”

This handover ceremony became a reality after the college removed the statue on display in 2016, saying it will be given to Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

Dr Veronique Mottier, the Chair of the Legacy of Slavery Enquiry, said, “Today is a moment of mixed emotions. We are all thrilled at seeing this day arrive when the Bronze is finally returning home.” She added, “But we are also painfully aware of having deprived its rightful owners for so long of its presence and we offer our heartfelt apologies for this historic wrong.”

The Nigerian delegation is expected to decide how and when to move the Okukur.

In March, the University of Aberdeen also said it will return a Benin Bronze to Nigeria within weeks, becoming the first institution to do so more than a century after Britain looted the sculptures and auctioned them to Western museums and collectors.

Many of Benin stolen artefacts are still wrongfully held by the British Museum, including a large collection of sculptures, elaborately decorated cast plaques, commemorative heads, animal and human figures, items of royal regalia, and personal ornaments. These items were created from at least the 16th century onwards in the West African Kingdom of Benin, by specialist guilds working for the royal court of the Oba (king) in Benin City.