Nigeria’s Senate has granted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu the approval to deploy Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin, endorsing a regional intervention aimed at stabilising the neighbouring country after an attempted military takeover last weekend.
The decision was announced on yesterday by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary, following an extensive review of Tinubu’s request in the Committee of the Whole.
The approval was issued in line with Section 5, Part II of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates legislative authorisation for military deployments outside Nigeria.
Lawmakers voted unanimously in support of the president’s request, giving clear parliamentary backing for the mission.
Akpabio described the Senate’s resolution as both strategic and necessary, noting that instability in Benin could have far-reaching implications for Nigeria and the West African sub-region.
He said, “An injury to one is an injury to all,” he declared, emphasising that Nigeria and its neighbours share intertwined security destinies.”
He added that under the ECOWAS framework, Nigeria has a longstanding obligation to support member states facing threats to constitutional governance.
The National Assembly is expected to formally communicate its approval to the Presidency immediately.
In the letter forwarded to the Senate, President Tinubu, who also chairs the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, stressed that Nigeria bears a historic leadership responsibility within the bloc.
He warned that the situation in Benin required “urgent external intervention” to prevent a wider breakdown of order.
The attempted coup in Benin unfolded on Sunday after a group of mutinous soldiers, calling themselves the Military Committee for Refoundation, appeared on national television to announce that President Patrice Talon had been removed from office.
Their declaration was short-lived.
Forces loyal to President Talon swiftly retook control of strategic locations in Cotonou and other parts of the country.
According to sources close to the presidency, security operations progressed efficiently.
“The regular army is regaining control. The city and the entire country are secure. It’s only a matter of time before full normalcy returns,” a source said.
In the wake of the failed putsch, ECOWAS announced that it had activated its standby force, with Tinubu authorising immediate deployment after consultations with regional leaders.
According to the bloc, the intervention force will include troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana, countries considered pivotal to West Africa’s collective defence structure.
“The ECOWAS Authority has ordered the deployment of elements of the Standby Force to the Republic of Benin with immediate effect,” the statement read.
The deployment marks one of ECOWAS’s swiftest coordinated responses to a coup attempt in recent years, underscoring the bloc’s renewed insistence on protecting democratic governance in the region.
