Nigeria’s military intervention in the Benin Republic was triggered by a direct request from President Patrice Talon to halt Sunday’s coup attempt.
Key Points
President Bola Tinubu ordered NAF jets into Benin after an urgent appeal from Cotonou.
Fighter jets dropped explosives in strategic areas to deter and scatter mutineers.
Ground troops were deployed from Ikorodu, Badagry, and Owode in Ogun State.
The coup plotters, led by Colonel Tigri Pascal, had seized national TV and dissolved institutions.
ECOWAS authorized a regional standby force with troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana.
Benin’s President Talon confirmed loyalist forces regained control and condemned the “senseless adventure.”
Chief of Defence Staff Olufemi Oluyede confirmed all of Benin’s requests were fully executed.
In a swift, coordinated response, Nigeria projected power across its border to defend a neighbor’s democracy, a show of regional resolve that also questions the balance between foreign engagement and domestic security.
Sources: Premium Times, Presidential Statement, ECOWAS Communiqué, Military Sources