Tinubu hailed Nigeria’s Benin coup intervention after troops helped loyalists restore order following an attempted military takeover
President Bola Tinubu on Sunday praised the Nigerian Armed Forces for their rapid Benin coup intervention after loyalist forces in the Republic of Benin repelled an attempted military takeover and restored control in Cotonou.
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President Tinubu issued the commendation shortly after loyalist units, supported by Nigerian troops and air assets, dislodged soldiers who had earlier seized Benin’s national television station and declared President Patrice Talon ousted.
The order to assist followed two formal requests from the Government of Benin, which warned that coup plotters led by Col. Pascal Tigri had suspended democratic institutions.
According to a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu instructed the Nigerian Air Force to secure Benin’s airspace and help flush out the mutineers from key sites, including the national broadcaster and a nearby military camp.
The statement added that Benin also sought surveillance aircraft and ground forces, restricted strictly to missions authorised by Benin’s command authorities.
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, confirmed that all requests were executed and that Nigerian troops had already deployed in Benin.
General Oluyede said the Armed Forces followed the directives of the Commander-in-Chief, reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to regional stability.
President Tinubu, who chairs ECOWAS, described the intervention as consistent with the bloc’s Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. He said Nigerian forces acted as protectors of constitutional order and demonstrated what he called a powerful example of regional solidarity.
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In a later update, Benin’s government announced that the coup attempt had been fully suppressed and that national institutions were back under legitimate civilian control.
