Cambridge college considers repatriating its Benin Bronze Stolen from Nigeria in 19th Century

Jesus College will consider repatriating bronze cockerel to Nigeria after a student led campaign to repatriate a bronze cockerel looted from what is now Nigeria in the 19th century.

Jesus College Cambridge has agreed to remove the object from public display in its main hall. The cockerel, known as the Okukor, is one of the celebrated ‘Benin Bronzes’ that once decorated the royal palace in the west African kingdom of Benin, before being taken by the British in 1897.
The college authorities have described the okukor’s immediate repatriation as ‘complex’, but have not ruled it out. It will, it says, work with Nigerian heritage bodies to ‘discuss and determine the best future for the okukor, including the question of repatriation.’

The Benin bronze, known as an "okukor", was bequeathed to Jesus College in 1930 by a former British Army officer. Last month students voted for it to be returned to Nigeria.

The college said it had now removed the cockerel and was considering the "question of repatriation".
Almost 1,000 bronzes were taken after Benin City, in present-day Nigeria, was occupied by imperial troops in 1897, according to the British Museum.