President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Sunday praised the Nigerian Armed Forces for their swift and decisive intervention in Benin Republic following an attempted military coup in the neighbouring West African nation.
Loyalist forces in Benin, backed by Nigerian troops and air assets, had earlier dislodged a group of soldiers who seized the country’s national television station and announced the ousting of President Patrice Talon.
According to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Beninese government formally requested Nigeria’s military assistance in two separate communications after coup plotters led by Col. Pascal Tigri declared the suspension of democratic institutions.
Tinubu, acting on the request, directed the Nigerian Air Force to secure Benin’s airspace and support operations to flush out the mutineers from strategic locations, including the national broadcaster and a military camp. Benin also requested Nigerian surveillance aircraft and ground forces, to be deployed strictly for missions approved by its command authorities.
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, confirmed that all directives were executed and that Nigerian troops were already on the ground.
“Ours is to comply with the order of the Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces, President Tinubu,” he said.
Tinubu, who chairs ECOWAS, said the intervention aligned with the bloc’s 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 its government. They have helped stabilise a neighbouring country and made us proud of their commitment to our democratic values since 1999. Nigeria stands firmly with the government and people of the Republic of Benin,” the President said.
The Beninese government later announced that the coup attempt had been suppressed and normalcy restored.
