The Nigerian Senate has unanimously granted consent to President Bola Tinubu’s request to deploy Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin.
The deployment is intended to support efforts to restore peace and stability following the attempted coup that occurred last weekend.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the legislative approval on Tuesday after lawmakers debated and considered the request in the Committee of the Whole, in compliance with Section 5, Part 11 of the Constitution.
President Tinubu had stressed in his letter that the crisis demanded “urgent external intervention” to restore order and that Nigeria had a historical responsibility to support Benin, a sister country, under existing Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) security frameworks.
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The Senators voted in favour of the deployment, providing the necessary legislative backing for the regional security intervention.
Senate President Akpabio underscored the decision’s importance, warning that “An injury to one is an injury to all,” and affirming Nigeria’s duty to support its ECOWAS partner. The Senate’s letter communicating consent will be immediately transmitted to President Tinubu.
The coup attempt occurred on Sunday when soldiers, calling themselves the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR), took control of the national television station to announce that they had met and concluded that “Mr Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic.”
However, Benin’s regular army thwarted the coup, with sources close to President Talon stating: “The regular army is regaining control. The city (Cotonou) and the country are completely secure… The clean-up is progressing well.”
Following the incident, ECOWAS announced it would deploy elements of its Standby Force to Benin “with immediate effect.”
The regional bloc specified that the force will be composed of troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana, and will be tasked with supporting the Government and Republican Army of Benin to “preserve constitutional order and the territorial integrity of the Republic of Benin.”
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