Nigeria moved quickly to assist its neighbour Benin after an unexpected announcement by a group of soldiers claiming they had launched a coup.
According to the Nigerian president’s office, the decision to intervene followed two formal requests from Benin’s government, which raised alarm about the situation and asked for urgent help. As tension rose in Cotonou, Nigerian authorities said they acted to support Benin’s constitutional order and prevent instability from spreading across the region.
The request from Benin prompted President Bola Tinubu to authorise military action under regional protocols. In the statement issued by his office, Nigeria confirmed that its forces were deployed specifically to help Benin manage the crisis and protect key institutions.
This included sending fighter jets across the border at a time when Benin said the coup attempt was still unfolding.
The aim was to secure the skies and prevent the renegade soldiers from using strategic positions such as the state broadcaster and a military camp where they had reportedly regrouped.
Nigeria’s military intervened on Sunday in neighbouring Benin after a group of soldiers announced a coup bid on state television, the Nigerian president’s office confirmed.
Responding to two requests from Benin’s government, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu “ordered Nigerian Air Force fighter jets to enter the country and take over the airspace to help dislodge the coup plotters from the National TV and a military camp where they had regrouped,” said a statement from his office.
The Beninese government later said it had managed to stop the attempt from progressing, but it still needed support to fully re-establish order and maintain security.
Nigeria’s explanation for its involvement included details from Benin’s foreign ministry, which had described the “urgency and seriousness of the situation” while calling for immediate Nigerian air support.
The ministry emphasised the need to protect constitutional order, national institutions and the safety of citizens. With the situation still fragile, Benin also asked for Nigerian aircraft to operate inside its airspace for surveillance and rapid intervention missions under Benin’s command structure.
In addition to air support, it requested limited ground forces, stating that these troops would only carry out tasks approved by Beninese authorities and focused on protecting constitutional institutions and containing armed groups.
Tinubu defended the decision by stating that Nigeria acted within the guidelines of the ECOWAS protocol on democracy and good governance.
He said the operation had helped stabilise a neighbouring country at a critical moment, echoing the role the regional bloc has played in recent years in responding to military takeovers.
ECOWAS had earlier announced that soldiers from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Ghana were being sent to Benin to help contain the coup attempt.
This marked another joint effort by West African states to prevent political crises from escalating. With Nigeria’s support and wider regional coordination, Benin moved to restore normalcy as authorities continued to investigate the attempted takeover and secure sensitive locations.
