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Dec
Dec
PRESIDENT TINUBU COMMENDS NIGERIA’S ARMED FORCES FOR PROTECTING DEMOCRACY IN BENIN REPUBLIC
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CapitalTimesNews / 2 months
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- 3 min read
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has praised the Nigerian armed forces for their swift intervention to thwart a coup attempt in the Republic of Benin, successfully restoring constitutional order in the neighboring nation. In a statement, Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy) Bayo Onanuga said President Tinubu commended the gallantry of Nigeria’s military for responding to urgent requests from the Benin government to save its 35-year-old democracy from coup plotters who struck at dawn on Sunday. Acting on two separate requests, President Tinubu first ordered Nigerian Air Force fighter jets to enter Benin and take over the airspace to help dislodge the coup plotters from the National TV and a military camp where they had regrouped. The Republic of Benin, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a Note Verbal, requested immediate Nigerian air support “in view of the urgency and seriousness of the situation and to safeguard the constitutional order, protect national institutions and ensure the security of the population.” In the second request, Benin authorities sought the deployment of Nigerian Air Force assets within Beninoise airspace for surveillance and rapid intervention operations under Benin-led coordination. The Benin government also requested Nigerian ground forces, “strictly for missions approved by the Beninese Command authority in support of the protection of constitutional institutions and the containment of armed Groups.” Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, said all the requests have been fulfilled, with Nigerian ground forces now in Benin. “Ours is to comply with the order of the Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces, President Tinubu,” he said. Constitutional order was upended in Benin when some soldiers led by Colonel Pascal Tigri announced a coup on Sunday morning. The putschists seized the National TV and claimed they had toppled President Patrice Talon and suspended all democratic institutions. It took some hours before the government’s loyal forces, assisted by Nigeria, took control and flushed out the coup plotters from the National TV. In his remarks after the restoration of the democratic and constitutional order, President Tinubu saluted the Nigerian armed forces for standing firm as a protector and defender of democracy. “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. Our armed forces acted within the ambit of 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. Nigeria stands firmly with the government and people of the Republic of Benin,” Tinubu said. Onanuga stated that the Nigerian intervention was critical in preserving democratic governance in the region. Onanuga further highlighted that Nigeria’s actions underscore its dedication to upholding constitutional order and stability within West Africa. The statement from Onanuga was issued on December 7, 2025.
