Joseph Godstime: Bendel Insurance complete signing of Niger Tornadoes midfielder in NPFL deal

Bendel Insurance have completed the signing of central midfielder Joseph Godstime from NPFL rivals Niger Tornadoes, with the 22-year-old Nigerian joining the Benin City club on a permanent deal. The transfer is confirmed, with the move registered on 2026-07-01 and Godstime now officially listed as a Bendel Insurance player.

The fee for the move has not been disclosed and is recorded as unknown, but the midfielder arrives with a current market value of €25k. His contract details at Insurance have not been made public, leaving the eventual expiry date unclear and creating the possibility that he could become a free agent at the end of his new spell if no extension is agreed.

Godstime, born on 25 May 2004, switches clubs within the Nigeria Professional Football League, moving from Niger Tornadoes to Bendel Insurance in a domestic transfer that keeps him in Nigerian top-flight football. He is registered primarily as a central midfielder, a role in which he is expected to add energy and control to Insurance’s engine room after establishing himself as a senior professional at Tornadoes.

The move also underlines his status within the NPFL market. With his value assessed at €25k, Bendel Insurance have invested in a player considered an emerging asset rather than a fringe squad option. Both clubs compete in the same league structure, meaning Godstime will remain in the NPFL rather than moving abroad; there is no indication in the data that he has yet played outside Nigeria or for any league other than the NPFL.

At international level, there is no senior national-team record indicated beyond his Nigerian nationality, and he is currently associated with Bendel Insurance at club level only. There are no confirmed previous foreign clubs or alternative leagues listed in his career history, suggesting his development to this point has been entirely within Nigerian football.

Details of his recent match performances, seasonal appearances, and specific statistics are not provided in the available data, so his exact contribution in terms of goals, assists or minutes played at Niger Tornadoes cannot be quantified here. However, his profile as a 22-year-old central midfielder earning a move between established NPFL sides signals that he has done enough in domestic competition to convince Bendel Insurance to act.

Contractually, there is also no stated end date to his new deal with Insurance. That lack of a publicly known expiry means future windows could see him either negotiate improved terms, attract bids from other NPFL clubs, or potentially run down his agreement and enter the market as a free agent, depending on performances and club strategy.

For now, the confirmed switch from Niger Tornadoes to Bendel Insurance represents a clear upward step in visibility for Godstime. Remaining in the NPFL keeps him on the radar of domestic scouts and possibly international observers tracking emerging Nigerian talent, and his progress at Bendel Insurance will shape both his market value and his long‑term career trajectory in the years ahead.