President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday requested the approval of the Senate for the deployment of Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin as part of a regional peace support mission.
In a letter addressed to the upper chamber, the President explained that the decision follows an appeal from President Patrice Talon of Benin after the country experienced a failed coup attempt.
According to the communication, the mission is intended to help stabilize the situation and reinforce democratic order.
Tinubu noted that the planned deployment aligns with established protocols of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which mandates collective regional action in response to unconstitutional changes of government.
Nigeria had previously carried out an air intervention to counter the attempted breach of constitutional authority in Benin.
Soldiers calling themselves the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR), said on state television that they had met and decided that “Mr Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic”.
However, the Benin presidency dismissed the soldiers’ claim, describing the group as a small faction with access only to the television station. It said loyal security forces were restoring order and that the situation in Cotonou and across the country remained secure. It also reaffirmed that President Talon, who has led the nation for a decade and is due to step down in April, was unharmed.
