REVEALED: How Nigeria’s Military Saved Benin’s 35-Year Democracy, Tinubu Salutes Armed Forces
Nigeria’s swift military intervention on Sunday helped foil an attempted coup in the Republic of Benin, restoring constitutional order in the neighbouring West African nation after hours of tension.
The crisis began at dawn when a group of soldiers led by Colonel Pascal Tigri seized the National Television Station in Cotonou, announcing that they had toppled President Patrice Talon and suspended all democratic institutions. The action briefly upended Benin’s 35-year-old uninterrupted democratic system.
In a rapid diplomatic and security escalation, the Government of Benin contacted Nigeria twice—through official channels and a Note Verbal from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs—requesting urgent military support to safeguard its institutions and suppress the mutiny.
Responding immediately, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu—who is also Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government—ordered the deployment of Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets into Beninese airspace. The jets took control of the skies around key installations, including the National TV and a military camp where the coup plotters had regrouped.
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According to the request from Cotonou, Nigerian assets were required for “surveillance and rapid intervention operations” under Beninese coordination, as well as the deployment of ground troops “strictly for missions approved by the Beninese Command authority.”
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, confirmed that all requests were promptly executed, noting that Nigerian ground forces were already on Beninese soil as operations progressed.
“Ours is to comply with the order of the Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces, President Tinubu,” he said.
The joint counter-coup efforts of loyal Beninese forces and Nigerian troops culminated in the successful flushing out of the putschists from the National TV station, restoring calm and re-establishing control for the elected government.
Following the restoration of order, President Tinubu praised the Nigerian Armed Forces for their professionalism and commitment to regional stability, stating that the operation was conducted within the framework of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
“Today, the Nigerian armed forces stood gallantly as a defender and protector of constitutional order in the Republic of Benin on the invitation of the government,” he said. “They have helped stabilise a neighbouring country and have made us proud of their commitment to sustaining our democratic values and ideals since 1999. Nigeria stands firmly with the government and people of the Republic of Benin.”
The Beninese government has since regained full control of state institutions, while security operations continue to ensure that remaining coup elements are neutralised.
By PRNigeria
