Tinubu Requests Senate Approval To Send Troops To Benin After Failed Coup Attempt
President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve the deployment of Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin following a failed coup attempt against President Patrice Talon.
The request comes two days after mutinous soldiers stormed a television station in Cotonou before government forces regained control.
Tinubu’s appeal was delivered in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during Tuesday’s plenary, as broadcast on National Assembly TV. The president explained that Benin formally requested urgent military assistance, specifically air support from the Nigerian Armed Forces.
He stated that the intervention was necessary to help prevent further attempts to destabilise the country’s democratic institutions. Citing the constitution and his consultations with the National Defence Council, Tinubu said Nigeria had both regional obligations and longstanding ties with Benin that required a quick response.
According to the letter, “The Government of the Republic of Benin is currently faced with an attempted unconstitutional seizure of power… The situation requires urgent external intervention.”
He stressed that supporting Benin aligns with ECOWAS principles of collective security and regional cooperation and urged senators to give expedited approval.
