President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has praised the swift
intervention of the Nigerian Armed Forces (NAF) in the neighbouring Republic of
Benin, following a failed coup attempt on Sunday.
In a statement released by his spokesman, Tinubu said the
military acted on invitation of the government and helped restore
constitutional order.
In his remarks, Tinubu underscored that Nigeria’s
intervention was compliant with the provisions of the ECOWAS Protocol on
Democracy and Good Governance, and reaffirmed Nigeria’s solidarity with the
Beninese people and government.
“They have helped stabilise a neighbouring country … we
stand firmly with the government and people of the Republic of Benin,” he said.
ECOWAS has concurrently activated its standby force to
support restoration of constitutional order in Benin — a regional demonstration
of collective resolve to resist any unconstitutional change of government.
According to official accounts, the Benin government issued
two urgent requests for assistance after a group of rogue soldiers seized the
national television station at dawn and had regrouped at a military camp.
The first request sought immediate air support, prompting
NAF fighter jets to enter Beninese airspace to dislodge the mutineers from
strategic sites.
A second request followed, for surveillance and
rapid-response capabilities, alongside deployment of Nigerian ground forces —
to be deployed “strictly for missions approved by the Beninese command
authority,” the presidency said.
Within hours, loyalist forces backed by Nigerian support
regained control of the national broadcaster and restored state institutions,
effectively quashing the attempted takeover.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on
Sunday ordered the deployment of elements of its Standby Force to the Republic
of Benin, following the attempted coup in the country.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the ECOWAS Commission said
the decision was reached after consultations among members of the Mediation and
Security Council at the level of Heads of State and Government.
The intervention, it noted, is anchored in Article 25(e) of
the 1999 Protocol on the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management,
Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security.
According to the communiqué, the Chair of the ECOWAS
Authority of Heads of State and Government authorised the immediate deployment
of the regional force to stabilize the situation.
The Standby Force will consist of troops drawn from Nigeria,
Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
ECOWAS said the mission’s mandate is to support the Beninese
government and preserve constitutional order and the territorial integrity of
the Republic of Benin.
The regional bloc reiterated its commitment to preventing
unconstitutional changes of government and urged all stakeholders in Benin to
uphold democratic norms.
Soldiers in the West African nation of Benin on Sunday announced on national TV that they had ousted President Patrice Talon and seized power.
Benin's interior minister later on appeared on national TV to announce that an attempted coup in the West African nation had been thwarted.
