In what has been characterized as a "historic moment," a Cambridge college will become the first British university to return one of the Benin bronzes to Nigeria later this month.

On October 27, the bronze cockerel will be returned to Nigerian delegates by Jesus College, University of Cambridge, in a handover ceremony that Nigerian authorities believe provides "hope for amicable resolutions" to continuing conflicts over cultural property ownership.

The Okukor, described by the college as a "royal ancestral heirloom," was stolen by British troops during a punitive expedition in 1897 that took thousands of bronzes from the kingdom of Benin, which was subsequently incorporated into Nigeria.

As the cultural world grapples with ethical issues over plundering ancient treasures, its return is likely to trigger a wave of repatriation rituals.

The oba of Benin, Omo N'Oba N'Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, stated, "We are indeed very pleased and commend Jesus College for taking this lead in making restitution for the plunder that occurred in Benin in 1897."

"We really hope that others would speed up the repatriation of our artworks, which are often religiously significant to us. We want to express our gratitude to [Nigeria's] President Muhammadu Buhari and our National Commission for Museums and Monuments for their continued efforts on our behalf to secure the return of our treasures."

The oba also expressed gratitude to the Cambridge student body for "bringing to light the historical importance of this treasured component of Benin's royal court"."

The Okukor was taken from public display at the institution in 2016 after students demanded that it be returned. The college subsequently formed the Legacy of Slavery Working Party (LSWP), which included fellows, staff, and student representatives, to investigate the historical, legal, and moral status of its bronze ownership.

Evidence reviewed by the LSWP revealed that the statue was stolen straight from the Benin court and donated to the institution in 1905 by the parent of a student.

After Jesus College announced its intention to return the bronze in November 2019, a slew of regional museums pledged to return items or said that they were contemplating it.

Hundreds of Benin bronzes — plaques and sculptures created by Edo culture craftsmen originating from the 13th century – are kept in the UK. They were given from private collections and, in certain instances, from troops who participated in the plunder in 1897. The British Museum, which has 900 items and is the world's biggest collection, has received a lot of attention in the past.

"This is a historic moment... it is the right thing to do out of respect for the unique heritage and history of this artefact," Sonita Alleyne, the master of Jesus College, said.

"I'd like to express my gratitude to the LSWP for its thorough and thorough investigation into the bronze's provenance, to the fellows for their enthusiastic support for its restitution, and to our students for pioneering early calls for this."

When Bernie Grant, one of Britain's first black MPs, made strident calls for their repatriation in the 1990s, the movement to recover Benin bronzes gathered traction. However, it's been a controversial issue that's lately erupted into culture war squabbles.

Oliver Dowden, the then-culture minister, opposed to "the removal of statues or other similar objects" earlier this year, urging museums to "defend our culture and history from the noisy minority of activists constantly trying to bring Britain down."

Nigeria's minister of communications and culture, Lai Mohammed, praised Jesus College as a "pioneer." "We hope that other institutions in possession of our artefacts will return them in a similar manner," he added.

"This return offers new hope for amicable resolution in cultural property ownership disputes," said Prof Abba Isa Tijani, director general of Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

"We hope it will set a precedent for others around the world who are still skeptical of this new evolving approach in which nations and institutions agree to return without retaliation with source nations."

"The National Commission for Museums and Monuments, on our part, is receiving this antiquity for the benefit of the people of Benin and Nigeria."

The most controversial items in the United Kingdom

Marbles from the Parthenon

The Parthenon sculptures, which were controversially taken from the ancient temple in Athens under Turkish rule in 1802 at the demand of Lord Elgin, London's envoy to the Sublime Porte, are now on display at the British Museum and are the subject of repatriation petitions by Greece. The keeping of the artifacts by the British Museum has been deemed unlawful and "contrary to any moral principle" by Athens. Britons have shown support for the carvings' return in several surveys.

The Rosetta Stone is a book written by Rosetta Stone
The stone is the British Museum's most-visited single item. When Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798, it was captured, and later taken by the British in 1801. Despite years of demands for its return, the Grand Egyptian Museum's director of archaeology thinks the stone will "never" return to Egypt.

Crown of Maqdala

Since the 1868 conquest of Maqdala in what was then Abyssinia, Ethiopians have fought for the restitution of looted artifacts. In 2007, Ethiopia filed a formal restitution claim for hundreds of significant Maqdala relics housed by different British institutions, but it was denied.

The Victoria and Albert Museum said that it has begun discussions with the Ethiopian embassy about returning items from its collection, including a gold crown and a royal bridal gown.

Artwork created by Aboriginal people
The British Museum has thousands of stolen Aboriginal items. The Gweagal shield, a sign of resistance seized when Captain Cook's troops first met Indigenous people in 1770, is among them.

Rodney Kelly, a descendant of Gweagal warrior Cooman, told the Guardian that Britain "should not refuse to return [the artefacts] to us."

Thanks to Nadia Khomami at The Guardian whose reporting provided the original basis for this story.