The Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Sunday, 7th December, 2025, praised the Nigerian Armed Forces for their swift intervention in the Republic of Benin, following an urgent request by the Beninoise government to halt a coup attempt that threatened the country’s 35-year-old democracy.
The attempted takeover according to a Press Release, signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, occurred at dawn, when a group of soldiers led by Colonel Pascal Tigri seized the National Television station and claimed to have toppled President Patrice Talon, suspending democratic institutions in the country.
Responding to the two emergency requests from Benin’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tinubu ordered Nigerian Air Force fighter jets to secure the country’s airspace and dislodge the insurgent troops from the National TV station and a military camp where they had regrouped.
Benin later requested the deployment of additional air assets for surveillance and rapid intervention operations, as well as ground troops “strictly for missions approved by the Beninese Command authority” to protect constitutional institutions and contain armed groups.
The Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, confirmed that all requests were carried out, with Nigerian troops now operating in Benin. “Ours is to comply with the order of the Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces, President Tinubu,” he said.
After loyal forces, supported by Nigeria, regained control of strategic locations, President Tinubu commended the troops, saying their action aligned with regional security commitments.
“Today, the Nigerian armed forces stood gallantly as a defender and protector of constitutional order in the Republic of Benin on the invitation of the government,” Tinubu said, adding that the intervention was in line with the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
He further declared that Nigeria remained committed to safeguarding democratic values across the region.
