Edo State: Nigeria’s Benin-heartland, home to Benin City; borders Delta, Ondo, Kogi, Anambra; created in 1991 from Bendel State.
The 20 prospective NYSC members abducted on 1 October are being rescued with police and security agencies conducting a sustained operation. Families have pressured authorities as ransom demands surface and debates on NYSC deployment reforms intensify.
An ATR-42 military aircraft on a Benin–Lagos routine flight has crashed near Igbokoda, Ondo State. Authorities have activated search-and-rescue operations and declared three days of national mourning. Initial reports indicate 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board; casualty figures remain unconfirmed.