Germany returns 20 Benin bronzes to Nigeria, noting ‘dark past’More than 5,000 ancient artefacts are estimated to have been looted from Nigeria by England when it colonised the country.Twenty historic bronze sculptures have been returned to Nigeria by Germany as part of efforts to address its “dark colonial past,” its foreign minister said on Tuesday.Most of the treasures were stolen from the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin — now part of southern Nigeria — and some ended up in the custody of other foreign governments including Germany.Nigeria is Germany’s second-largest trade partner in Africa and by returning the items it hopes to start a new chapter for future bilateral relations, said Baerbock.“This step is also important for us because we are dealing with our dark colonial past,” she said."