President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commended the gallantry of Nigeria’s Armed Forces after they moved swiftly into the Republic of Benin to help restore constitutional order following a dawn coup attempt that briefly toppled President Patrice Talon.
Tinubu ordered immediate military intervention after receiving two urgent requests from the Benin Republic authorities seeking Nigeria’s assistance to “safeguard constitutional order, protect national institutions and ensure the security of the population.”
Acting on the first request, the President directed Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets to enter Beninese airspace, take control, and neutralise coup operations. The jets were tasked with dislodging the mutineers from the National TV station and a military camp they had seized at dawn.
The requests were formally transmitted through a Note Verbale from Benin’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, underscoring the gravity and urgency of the coup attempt.
A second request followed shortly afterward, calling for continued deployment of Nigerian air assets for surveillance and rapid intervention operations, all under Benin’s command and coordination.
Benin’s government further requested limited ground support “strictly for missions approved by the Beninese Command authority,” aimed at protecting key institutions and containing armed groups aligned with the coup plotters.
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, confirmed that all requests have been carried out and that Nigerian ground forces are now operational inside Benin.
“Ours is to comply with the order of the Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces, President Tinubu,” he said.
Benin’s 35-year democratic order came under threat when soldiers led by Colonel Pascal Tigri seized the National TV station and announced the overthrow of President Talon. The junta also claimed to have suspended all democratic institutions.
With Nigerian assistance, loyal Beninese forces regained control of the National TV and flushed the coup plotters out of their positions after several hours of tension.
Speaking after democratic governance was restored in the neighbouring country, President Tinubu praised the Nigerian Armed Forces for standing as “defenders of constitutional order” in strict adherence to 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,” Tinubu said.
“Our armed forces acted within the ambit of the ECOWAS Protocol. 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 intervention marks one of the most significant rapid-response deployments by Nigeria in recent years, underscoring Abuja’s renewed resolve to resist unconstitutional changes of government in the West African region.
