President Bola Tinubu has commended the Nigerian military for its rapid intervention in Benin Republic after soldiers launched an attempted coup early Sunday morning.
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Government of Benin Republic made two urgent requests for assistance as the coup plotters tried to seize key institutions, including the national broadcaster.
Responding to the first request, Tinubu authorised Nigerian Air Force fighter jets to enter Benin’s airspace and help dislodge the mutineers from the National Television station and a military camp where they had regrouped.
A Note Verbale from Benin’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked Nigeria to provide immediate air support to “safeguard the constitutional order, protect national institutions and ensure the security of the population.”
A second request sought the deployment of Nigerian air assets for surveillance and rapid-intervention missions, alongside limited ground forces to operate strictly under Benin’s command in defending its democratic institutions.
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, confirmed that all requests were carried out and that Nigerian ground troops were now in Benin. “Ours is to comply with the order of the Commander-in-Chief,” he said.
With support from Nigerian forces, government loyalists regained control of the national broadcaster after several hours and pushed out the coup plotters.
President Tinubu praised the military for standing “firm as a protector and defender of democracy,” noting that the operation aligned with the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
“They have helped stabilise a neighbouring country and have made us proud of their commitment to sustaining our democratic values and ideals since 1999,” he said, reaffirming Nigeria’s solidarity with the people and government of Benin Republic.