President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has requested the approval of the Senate to deploy Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin following an attempted coup in the neighbouring West African country.
The request was conveyed in a letter read during Tuesday’s plenary, where the President disclosed that Benin’s government had made an urgent appeal for “exceptional air support” from Nigeria’s Armed Forces after soldiers attempted to overthrow President Patrice Talon.
The attempted coup occurred on Sunday when a group of soldiers, identifying themselves as the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR), appeared on national television to announce that “Mr Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic.”
However, loyalist forces quickly regained control and foiled the takeover.
“The regular army is regaining control. The city (Cotonou) and the country are completely secure,” sources close to President Talon said. “It’s just a matter of time before everything returns to normal. The clean-up is progressing well.”
The incident comes amid a recent wave of military takeovers in parts of Africa, including Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau. Benin also shares borders with Niger and Burkina Faso—two countries currently under military rule.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has referred Tinubu’s request to the Committee of the Whole for immediate deliberation.
According to the letter, President Tinubu cited Section 30 (5) of Part II of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), explaining that he had consulted the National Defence Council prior to forwarding the request. He stressed that parliamentary approval is necessary to authorize a regional peacekeeping deployment.
Tinubu warned that Benin was facing “an attempted unconstitutional seizure of power and the destruction and destabilization of democratic institutions,” adding that the situation requires swift action to prevent further deterioration.
He noted that Nigeria holds a historical responsibility to support Benin under existing security arrangements within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), stating that the crisis demands “urgent external intervention.”
In response to the unfolding situation, ECOWAS announced that it is deploying a standby force to Benin.
“After consultation among members of the Mediation and Security Council at the level of Heads of State and Government, the Chair of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government has ordered the deployment of elements of the ECOWAS Standby Force to the Republic of Benin with immediate effect,” the regional bloc said.
The standby force will include troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana. According to ECOWAS, the mission is to support the Beninese government and its Republican Army in preserving constitutional order and safeguarding the country’s territorial integrity.
