Nigeria’s Senate has approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to deploy troops to the Republic of Benin as part of a regional effort to stabilize the country following last weekend’s failed coup attempt.
The approval was announced on Tuesday by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary, after lawmakers considered the president’s request in the Committee of the Whole in accordance with Section 5, Part II of the Constitution.
The decision was unanimously supported by Senators, giving legislative backing to Nigeria’s participation in the ECOWAS-led intervention.
Akpabio welcomed the approval, stressing that unrest in any neighbouring country poses a wider security threat to the region.
“An injury to one is an injury to all,” he said, adding that Nigeria must uphold its responsibility to its ECOWAS partners.
President Tinubu, who also serves as ECOWAS chairman, had earlier written to the Senate seeking consent for the deployment. He noted that Nigeria has a long-standing obligation under regional security frameworks to support Benin, warning that swift action was needed to prevent further instability.
The attempted coup unfolded on Sunday when soldiers identifying themselves as the “Military Committee for Refoundation” appeared on national television, declaring they had removed President Patrice Talon from office. Loyalist forces quickly regained control, thwarting the takeover.
Following the incident, ECOWAS announced the immediate deployment of its standby force.
According to the bloc, the regional force will include troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana.
The mission is tasked with supporting Benin’s government and its Republican Army in safeguarding constitutional order and protecting the nation’s territorial integrity.
Comments