Tinubu Orders Military Intervention as Nigeria Aids in Foiling Coup in Benin Republic

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has praised the swift action of the country’s armed forces after an attempted coup in the neighbouring Benin Republic was thwarted, saying Nigeria intervened to help “save 35-year-old democracy.”

According to a statement from the presidency, Tinubu authorised the deployment of Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets into Beninese airspace to dislodge mutineers who had seized state television and a military camp, acting on a formal request from Benin’s government. Ground troops were also deployed under coordination with Beninese command to reinforce loyal forces.

In a televised address after loyalist troops regained control, Benin’s interior minister described the uprising as a small‐scale mutiny aimed at destabilising the state. Government forces “remained committed to the republic,” he said.

Speaking on Nigeria’s role, Tinubu declared: “Our armed forces acted within the ambit of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance … they have helped stabilise a neighbouring country.”

He added that the move reflects Nigeria’s enduring commitment to upholding democratic values in the region.

Benin’s president, Patrice Talon, whose government was briefly seized by mutineers, later confirmed security forces had regained control and pledged to punish those behind the failed takeover.

The coup attempt on 7 December 2025 — just months ahead of scheduled elections in Benin — involved soldiers who declared the dissolution of the government and suspended the constitution. The rapid joint response by Benin’s loyal forces and Nigerian troops helped restore order within hours.

The crisis has sparked a wider regional reaction. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) condemned the mutiny and activated its standby force to support constitutional order across the bloc.

Benin Arrests A Dozen Soldiers Over Coup Attempt Months Before Vote

Meanwhile, about a dozen soldiers were arrested in Benin following a failed coup attempt on Sunday, military and security sources said.

The Benin presidential election is scheduled for April 2026.

This is coming as the govern­ment of Benin said it foiled the attempted coup by members of the West African nation’s armed forces.

“The Beninese armed forces and their leadership, true to their oath, remained committed to the Republic,” Interior Minister Alas­sane Seidou said in a televised address.

Earlier on Sunday, a group of soldiers made a broadcast in which they said they had ousted Presi­dent Patrice Talon. Eyewitnesses said that gunfire was heard near the presidential residence and said some journalists working for the state broadcaster had been held hostage for a few hours.

A presidential adviser already said the president was in a safe location.

French diplomats denied earli­er reports that he had taken refuge at France’s embassy in Cotonou, Benin’s largest city and the seat of the country’s government.

There have been a series of coups in West Africa before Sun­day’s thwarted attempt in Benin, heightening fears that the security of the region could worsen.

Benin, a former French colony, has been regarded as one of Afri­ca’s more stable democracies. But Talon has faced accusations of sup­pressing criticism of his policies.

The nation is one of the conti­nent’s largest cotton producers, but ranks among the world’s poorest countries.

Seidou said in his address that “a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny aimed at destabilising the state and its institutions”, adding that loyalist soldiers had been able “to retain control of the situation and foil the attempt”.

Fourteen people have been arrested in connection with the attempted coup, government spokesperson Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji said.

A journalist in Benin said that, of those reportedly arrested, 12 are believed to have stormed the offices of the national TV station – including a soldier who had pre­viously been sacked.

Earlier, helicopters were seen flying over Cotonou and roads were blocked with a heavy military presence on several streets.

The French and Russian embassies urged their citizens to remain indoors, while the US embassy’s advice was to stay away from Cotonou, especially the area around the presidential compound.

The rebel soldiers, led by Lt Col Pascal Tigri, justified their actions by criticising Talon’s management of the country, complaining first about his handling of the “continu­ing deterioration of the security situation in northern Benin”.

Benin’s army has suffered los­es near its northern border with insurgency-hit Niger and Burkina Faso in recent years, as jihadist militants linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda spread southwards.

The soldier’s statement cited “the ignorance and neglect of the situation of our brothers in arms who have fallen at the front and, above all, that of their families, abandoned to their sad fate by Mr Patrice Talon’s policies”.

The rebels also hit out at cuts in health care, including the can­cellation of state-funded kidney dialysis, and taxes rises, as well as curbs on political activities.

Talon, 67, who is regarded as a close ally of the West, is due to step down next year after completing his second term in office, with elec­tions scheduled for April.

A businessman known as the “king of cotton”, he first came to power in 2016. He promised not to seek a third term, despite Benin’s current two-term limit for presi­dencies, and has endorsed Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni as his successor.

Talon has been praised by his supporters for overseeing eco­nomic development, but his gov­ernment has also been criticised for suppressing dissenting voices.

In October, Benin’s electoral commission barred the main op­position candidate from standing on the grounds that he did not have enough sponsors.

Last month, constitutional amendments were passed by MPs, including the creation of a second parliamentary chamber, the Senate.

Terms for elected officials were extended from five to seven years, but the presidential two-term limit remained in place.

Sunday’s attempted coup comes just over a week after Guinea-Bis­sau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embaló was overthrown – though some regional figures have ques­tioned whether this was staged.

In recent years, West Africa has also seen coups in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger, prompt­ing concerns about the region’s stability.

Russia has strengthened its ties with these Sahel countries over re­cent years – and Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have left the West Afri­can regional bloc Ecowas to form their own group, the Alliance of Sahel States.