Edo

Edo State exists because the Benin Kingdom was too powerful to forget. The Kingdom of Benin, established in the 11th century, dominated West African coastal trade for 500 years before British conquest in 1897. The Oba's palace in Benin City showcased bronze and brass masterpieces created through lost-wax casting - a technique still practiced by artisans today. Those bronzes, looted during the British expedition, are now scattered across 139 institutions in 21 countries, with repatriation demands intensifying as Digital Benin catalogs 5,299 dispersed objects. The kingdom traded ivory, peppers, and enslaved people with Portuguese merchants from the 15th century, receiving Rhineland brass that became raw material for the famous sculptures. When Bendel State split in 1991, Benin City naturally became capital of Edo State. Today the city is Nigeria's rubber production center, with processing plants and the Rubber Research Institute nearby. But Edo carries a modern burden: human trafficking networks exploit historical migration patterns, making the state a source region for European trafficking. The Oba of Benin cursed traffickers in 2018, using traditional authority to address a contemporary crisis. By 2026, bronze repatriation from Western museums will accelerate, restoring cultural patrimony while Benin City diversifies beyond rubber.