The Nigerian government has revealed its fighter jets and ground forces helped Benin’s army thwart an attempted coup in Cotonou, marking the latest flashpoint in a region increasingly destabilised by military uprisings.
- Nigeria’s armed forces supported Benin’s military in quelling a coup attempt in Cotonou.
- Benin requested air and ground military aid from Nigeria to dislodge coup plotters and secure its government institutions.
- The intervention followed the ECOWAS protocol to defend constitutional order and democratic governance.
- West Africa faces increasing instability due to multiple coups, contested transitions, and anti-democratic forces.
The intervention comes at a moment when West Africa is struggling with a wave of coups, contested transitions, and intensifying security pressures that continue to reshape the political landscape across the sub-region.
According to a statement issued by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, the Benin government, through a Note Verbale, asked Nigeria to deploy fighter jets to secure its airspace and dislodge soldiers led by Colonel Pascal Tigri who had seized the national television station and announced the suspension of democratic institutions.
A second request followed, seeking surveillance operations and rapid intervention assets under Benin-led coordination as loyalist forces struggled to regain control.
“Acting on two separate requests from the Government of Benin, President Tinubu first 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.” the statement noted
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, confirmed that all requests were carried out, with Nigerian ground forces now operating in Benin strictly under missions approved by Beninese authorities.
Within hours, loyal troops, backed by Nigeria, recaptured the national broadcaster and neutralised the coup attempt.
In a statement after order was restored, President Tinubu commended the military’s actions, noting that they were carried out within the framework of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
“Our armed forces acted as defenders of constitutional order in the Republic of Benin,” he said. “They have helped stabilise a neighbouring country and have made us proud.”
A region destabilised by coups – and Nigeria’s shifting role
The attempted coup in Benin adds to the growing instability across West Africa, where a series of successful and attempted coups including in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger, and now Benin, have shaken the region over the past four years.
The rise of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) made up of military-led Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, has deepened regional divisions, weakened ECOWAS cohesion, and emboldened anti-democratic actors.
Nigeria has not been immune: in recent months, reports of an alleged coup plot involving dozens of military officers surfaced, highlighting growing discontent, economic strain, and a broader pattern of military unrest across the region.
Analysts argue that worsening poverty, shrinking state authority, and geopolitical competition between global powers have created fertile ground for military takeovers.
The intervention reinforces Nigeria’s role as a key stabilising force in West Africa and highlights the strategic calculus of stopping instability before it reaches its borders, a calculation made all the more urgent by Nigeria’s own growing insecurity.
With attacks by insurgent groups, armed bandits, and organised criminal networks escalating across northern and central Nigeria, the government faces the dual challenge of securing its territory while helping to uphold regional stability.
