On 9th February 1897 Benin City was invaded by the British Expeditionary Force; the city was burned and looted, ending the 11th century Nigerian Kingdom of Benin .

The Kingdom of Benin, also known as Great Benin or Benin Kingdom was a kingdom within what is now considered southern Nigeria.

It was one of the oldest and most developed states in the coastal hinterland of West Africa. It grew out of the previous Edo Kingdom of Igodomigodo around the 11th century AD and was annexed by the British Empire in 1897.

In 1897 a 1,200-men strong force, under the command of Sir Harry Rawson, captured Benin City. They deliberately sought out and destroyed certain areas of the city, including those thought to belong to the chiefs responsible for the ambush of a British diplomatic delegation led by James Phillips with only 2 survivors. The fire burnt the palace and surrounding quarters, which the British claimed was accidental.

The expeditionary force took the palace art as war booty. The looted portrait figures, busts, and groups created in iron, carved ivory, and especially in brass (conventionally termed the “Benin Bronzes“) were sold off to defray the cost of the expedition and some were accessioned to the British Museum; most were sold elsewhere and are now on display in various museums around the world.

Return of the Benin Bronze

In March 2021, institutions in Berlin, Germany and Aberdeen, Scotland announced decisions to return Benin Bronzes in their possession to their place of origin

The British launched an additional operation in 1899, called the “Benin Territories Expedition”, against rebels still holding out against the British. The British burnt down numerous towns, and destroyed farms in an attempt to starve the rebels into submission. After the 1899 expedition, military resistance in the former Kingdom of Benin against the British occupation ceased.