JUST IN: Nigeria Senate Approves Troop Deployment to Benin After Failed Coup

Nigeria’s Senate has endorsed a request from President Bola Tinubu to send troops to Benin Republic following an attempted coup that unsettled the neighbouring country over the weekend. The approval came during Tuesday’s plenary after lawmakers reviewed the president’s letter in the Committee of the Whole, granting swift legislative support for a regional intervention aimed at restoring order.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the decision, saying the unanimous vote reflected Nigeria’s commitment to collective security within West Africa. He stressed that unrest in any nearby state risks spreading instability across the region, adding that Nigeria has an obligation to assist its partners in line with ECOWAS security arrangements. The Senate’s formal approval is expected to be transmitted to the president without delay.

The attempted coup in Benin unfolded on Sunday when a group of soldiers identifying themselves as the “Military Committee for Refoundation” appeared on national television to declare President Patrice Talon removed from office. Loyalist forces quickly regained control, and officials close to Talon later stated that the capital, Cotonou, had been secured and normalcy was returning.

In response, ECOWAS announced the deployment of a standby force composed of personnel from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana. The force is mandated to support Benin’s government and regular army in safeguarding constitutional order and preserving the country’s territorial integrity.

Tinubu, in his letter to the Senate, argued that the situation required urgent external support to prevent further deterioration, citing Nigeria’s longstanding ties with Benin and its responsibilities under regional security protocols. The move comes amid heightened concerns across West Africa following recent political upheavals in Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, and Burkina Faso, underscoring renewed fears of instability spreading across the subregion.