Bendel Insurance FC crest

Bendel Insurance FC

Bendel's Finest

League

Nigeria Premier League

Founded

1972

City

Benin City

Status

Active

2×
League titles
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Debate tactics, transfer news, and relive historic Nigeria football moments with Bendel Insurance FC supporters.

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Founded
1972
Stadium
Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium
Capacity
25,000
Manager
Monday Odigie
Chairman
Patrick Ijewere
Titles
2
Main rival
Rivers United

About the club

Bendel Insurance FC is the Benin City club that carries one of the oldest institutional identities in Nigerian football. The club won the Nigerian league in 1972 and 1979 and reached the 1981 African Cup Winners' Cup final, becoming the first Nigerian side to contest an African final. Founded in 1972 by the Bendel Insurance Company, the club is now owned by the Edo State Government following the 1991 state restructuring. Relegations to the Nigerian National League across the 2000s and 2010s interrupted the club's NPFL presence, with the most recent return secured in 2023. Home matches are played at the 25,000-capacity Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, named after Edo State's first military governor.

Founded by Bendel Insurance Company (then NICON affiliate), as the corporate side of the Nigerian Insurance Company of Nigeria in the old Bendel State.

"Benin Arsenal — Bendel's Finest"

emoji_eventsHonours

Competition Wins Last Note
Nigeria Premier Football League 2 1979 Titles won in 1972 (inaugural professional era) and 1979
Africa Cup Winners' Cup 0 — Runners-up 1981 to Union Douala of Cameroon — first Nigerian club to reach an African final
Nigerian FA Cup / Federation Cup 3 1980 Won in 1972, 1978, 1980
CAF Champions League 0 — Group-stage absence since the 1980s
Nigerian National League (second-tier) 2 2022–23 Won NNL titles on each promotion route back to the NPFL

workspace_premiumRecent titles

  • 1979 vs Rangers International · 3 points
    Top scorer: Andrew Atuegbu (14)
  • 1972 vs Mighty Jets · 2 points
    Top scorer: Godwin Odiye (10)

scoreboardNotable matches

  • 1979
    Bendel Insurance 1–0 Rangers International

    Title-deciding fixture at the Ogbe Stadium, Benin City. Andrew Atuegbu winner — second and most recent Nigerian league title for the club.

  • 1981
    Bendel Insurance 0–1 Union Douala (agg 0–3)

    Africa Cup Winners' Cup final second leg in Cameroon. Bendel lost on aggregate but became the first Nigerian club to reach an African final.

  • 1980
    Bendel Insurance 3–1 Racca Rovers

    Nigerian FA Cup final at the National Stadium Lagos — third and most recent FA Cup title.

  • 2023
    Bendel Insurance 2–0 Gombe United

    Nigerian National League title-clinching fixture — secured NPFL promotion and ended a multi-year top-flight absence.

Club legends

J
Julius Aghahowa
1997–1999

Striker — began his senior career at Bendel Insurance before Espérance de Tunis and Shakhtar Donetsk

H
Humphrey Edobor
1980s

Striker nicknamed 'Elastic'; Flying Eagles and Green Eagles international

stadium
Home ground

Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium

Benin City · 25,000 capacity
Stadium guidearrow_forward
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Main rivalry

South-South Derby

vs Rivers United

Bendel Insurance vs Rivers United is the NPFL's South-South fixture since Bendel's 2023 promotion. Edo State vs Rivers State — Benin City and Port Harcourt sit roughly four...

Derby pagearrow_forward

help Frequently Asked Questions

How many Nigerian league titles has Bendel Insurance won? add
Bendel Insurance have won the Nigerian league twice — in 1972 and 1979. They have also won the Nigerian FA Cup three times (1972, 1978, 1980) and reached the 1981 African Cup Winners' Cup final. The club remains the first Nigerian side to contest a continental final, though they have not won a top-flight title since 1979.
Where does Bendel Insurance play? add
Bendel Insurance play at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, capacity 25,000. The ground was renamed after Samuel Ogbemudia, Edo State's first military governor, and is the primary football venue in Edo State. The pitch and stands were renovated in 2023 ahead of the club's NPFL return.
Who owns Bendel Insurance? add
Bendel Insurance is owned by the Edo State Government, which inherited the club from the former Bendel State Government after the 1991 state restructuring that split old Bendel into Edo and Delta. The club retains its original Bendel Insurance Company name as a historical identity. Privatisation has been debated publicly since 2020 but not executed.
Who are Bendel Insurance's rivals? add
Rivers United of Port Harcourt are Bendel Insurance's closest modern NPFL rivals — the two South-South clubs sit four hours apart along the Niger Delta corridor. Historically, Bendel Insurance also contested fierce national rivalries with Rangers International of Enugu and Shooting Stars of Ibadan during their 1970s title era.
What does 'Bendel's Finest' mean? add
'Bendel's Finest' is the club's supporter nickname and dates to the original Bendel State era of the 1970s, when the club represented the state as its flagship professional football side. Despite the 1991 state restructuring that created Edo and Delta from old Bendel, the nickname has been retained as part of the club's heritage identity.
Has Bendel Insurance played in the CAF Champions League? add
Not in the modern CAF Champions League format. Bendel Insurance's biggest African campaign was the 1981 African Cup Winners' Cup, where they reached the final and lost on aggregate to Cameroon's Union Douala — the first Nigerian club to reach an African final. The club has not appeared in a CAF group stage since the 1980s.
How much do Bendel Insurance players earn? add
Bendel Insurance player salaries sit in the ₦300,000–₦1,500,000 per month range for the senior squad, with top earners around the upper band when appearance and win bonuses are added. These are mid-tier NPFL figures, comparable to other state-owned NPFL clubs and below the leading Niger Delta and privately owned sides.

Related

Rival Rivers United FC arrow_forward League Nigeria Premier Football League arrow_forward Country Football in Nigeria arrow_forward Stadium Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium arrow_forward

Last updated 2026-04-22 · written by Amara Okafor.