Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has praised the Nigerian military for swiftly helping Benin Republic to repel an attempted coup on Sunday.
The Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, who confirmed the intervention of the Nigerian military, said in a statement that Tinubu acted on two urgent requests from the Beninese authorities for immediate Nigerian air support.
The statement stated that Benin’s Foreign Ministry, in a Note Verbale, sought help “to safeguard the constitutional order and ensure the security of the population.”
According to the statement, President Tinubu ordered the Nigerian Air Force fighter jets into Benin’s airspace to dislodge the coup plotters from key locations.
It added that the request also asked Nigeria to deploy air assets for surveillance and rapid intervention under Benin’s coordination, while another appeal sought limited deployment of Nigerian ground forces for missions approved by Benin’s command authority.
The statement explained that Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, confirmed full compliance with the President’s directives and that “ours is to comply with the order of the Commander-in-Chief, President Tinubu,”
The crisis began when soldiers led by Col. Pascal Tigri seized the National TV station on Sunday morning and announced the ousting of President Patrice Talon of Benin and the suspension of democratic institutions.
The Loyal forces, according to the statement, supported by Nigerian military, regained control after several hours of tense operations to flush out the coup plotters from strategic installations as order gradually returned.
The Nigerian President therefore hailed the troops for defending democracy within and beyond Nigeria’s borders.
“Today, the Nigerian armed forces stood gallantly as a defender of constitutional order in the Republic of Benin,” Tinubu said, noting that the intervention aligned with the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
Tinubu also said that the operation helped stabilise a neighbouring country at a critical moment.
“Our armed forces have made us proud of their commitment to sustaining democratic values.
“Nigeria stands firmly with the government and people of the Republic of Benin,” the statement quoted President Tinubu as saying.
GIK/APA
