Beninske bronce
Velik broj muzealaca smatra da predmeti trebaju ostati u muzejima u kojima se nalaze zbog sljedećih razloga: nestabilne ekonomske i političke okolnosti u zemljama porijekla predmeta, nepostojanje odgovarajućih uvjeta za njihovo čuvanje, preosjetljivost predmeta za transport, činjenica da ih u europskim i sjevernoameričkim metropolama može vidjeti najveći broj ljudi uključujući dijasporu, predmeti predstavljaju svjetsku baštinu i zato pripadaju svima (ali se čuvaju isključivo u muzejima Europe i Sjeverne Amerike). Oni također iznose podatke da u trgovini robljem nisu sudjelovali samo Europljani, već i afrička kraljevstva.
Drugi smatraju da su izneseni argumenti licemjerni. Oni se pak zalažu za povrat sve građe bivšim koloniziranim zemljama, što će im omogućiti proučavanje i propitivanje vlastite povijesti i kulturnog nasljeđa. Osim toga, mišljenja su da povrat predmeta ne smije biti uvjetovan te da se državama porijekla predmeta ne nameću rješenja protivna njihovim odlukama. Njihov je stav da bivše kolonijalne države moraju prihvatiti odgovornost za svoju kolonijalnu prošlost, jer dok se predmeti nabavljeni pljačkom ili u odnosima nejednakosti moći ne vrate, ta prošlost nije prošlost već sadašnjost.
Pojedini su Muzeji u Njemačkoj i Velikoj Britaniji u dogovoru s vladama i s nigerijskim Nacionalnim povjerenstvom za muzeje i spomenike potpisali ugovore o povratu beninskih bronci te manji broj predmeta iz svojih zbirki svečano uručili predstavnicima nigerijske vlade 2022. godine. Međutim, tadašnji nigerijski predsjednik M. Buhari izdao je u ožujku 2023. godine dekret po kojem će svi opljačkani i vraćeni beninski predmeti, uključujući i one čiji se povrat očekuje, biti privatno vlasništvo obe, tradicionalnog vladara i čuvara kulture Edo naroda. Odluku da oba može samostalno odlučivati o beninskoj bronci mnogi smatraju nepravednom, jer je tako potomcima trgovaca robljem omogućeno da opet na njoj profitiraju. U međuvremenu su i potomci tih robova osnovali Restitution Study Group sa sjedištem u New Yorku te i oni zahtijevaju da budu ravnopravno zastupljeni u odlučivanju o beninskim broncama.
A large number of museum professionals believe that these artifacts should remain in the museums where they currently reside for several reasons: unstable economic and political circumstances in the countries of origin, the lack of adequate conditions for their preservation, the sensitivity of the objects to transport, and the fact that displaying them in large European and North American cities allows a greater number of people, including the diaspora, to see them. These objects, they claim, represent world heritage and thus belong to everyone (though they can be found exclusively in European and North American museums). Additionally, they note that not only Europeans were involved in the slave trade but also African kingdoms.
Others argue that these points are hypocritical. They advocate for the return of all cultural objects to formerly colonized countries, enabling those nations to study and question their own history and cultural heritage. Moreover, they believe that the return of the artifacts should not be conditional, and that countries of origin should not have solutions imposed upon them against their decisions. They assert that former colonial powers must take responsibility for their colonial past, as long as artifacts acquired through looting or unequal power relations remain outside their rightful homes, that past is not truly past but present.
In 2022, several museums in Germany and the UK, in agreement with governments and Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, signed agreements to return Benin Bronzes they had in their possession. A small number of these artifacts were ceremonially handed over to Nigerian government representatives in 2022. However, in March 2023, then-Nigerian President M. Buhari issued a decree stating that all looted and returned Benin artifacts, including those yet to be returned, would become the private property of the Oba, the traditional ruler and cultural guardian of the Edo people. The decision to allow the Oba to unilaterally decide the fate of the Benin Bronzes has been criticized by many, as it enables the descendants of slave traders to profit once again from them. Meanwhile, the descendants of those enslaved have formed the Restitution Study Group, based in New York, and they also demand to have an equal voice in the decisions surrounding the Benin Bronzes.