Benin City

Benin City is the capital of Edo State in southern Nigeria and is currently the center of Nigeria’s rubber industry.

In 1897, Benin City was destroyed by British forces under Admiral Harry Rawson. The city was ransacked and burnt down. The British stole bronze and brought it back to England to be displayed in the British Museum of London. In order to reclaim some of Africa’s plundered treasures, Nigeria was forced to purchase some of the 700 stolen pieces of bronze in 1972.