The recent return of some of the so-called 'Benin Bronzes' sculptures to Nigeria, from where they had been looted in the 19th century, by the UK's University of Aberdeen and Berlin's Ethnological Museum, plus the imminent return of some by the Smithsonian Institution, has put great pressure on London's British Museum and Oxford's Pitt Rivers Museum, both of which still house them. In fact, the British Museum has the single largest collection of Benin Bronzes.

After many requests the British Museum sold 30 of the artifacts back to the Nigerian government between 1950 and 1972, and more recently both museums have engaged in talks about Nigeria's looted treasure. That said, to date they have only agreed to hand over the stolen treasures as part of rotating loans. Some people who inherited bronzes have also returned theirs to Nigeria, while others have capitalised on the interest in them and sold theirs for up to $13.7 million (£10m) at auction.

Stolen treasures countries want other countries to give back