European broadcaster; covered the Lagos ceremony and the March 2026 agreement framework, including the nine pieces staying in Switzerland on long-term loan

Euronews reported that 14 artefacts from the University of Zurich's Ethnographic Museum, two from Museum Rietberg Zurich, and two from Geneva's Musée d'Ethnographie de Genève were handed over at the National Museum in Lagos. The ceremony implemented a March 2026 agreement in which Switzerland committed to transferring ownership of 28 pieces, with nine remaining on loan in Swiss museums and one at MEG. Four Ikom monoliths from the Niger Delta region and a bronze bracelet were also included, having been seized in Switzerland as part of criminal proceedings.

“Switzerland returned 18 looted Benin Bronzes to Nigeria in a ceremony at the National Museum in Lagos, the first transfer under a March 2026 agreement.”