The Senate has approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to deploy Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin as part of regional efforts to restore stability following last weekend’s attempted coup in the neighboring country.
The approval was announced on Tuesday by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary, after lawmakers considered the request in the Committee of the Whole in accordance with Section 5, Part II of the Constitution.
Senators unanimously endorsed the deployment, giving legislative backing to Nigeria’s participation in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) security response.
Akpabio described the move as necessary for regional stability, noting that political unrest in any West African state poses potential threats to others.
“An injury to one is an injury to all,” he said, stressing Nigeria’s responsibility to support its ECOWAS partners.
In his letter to the upper chamber, President Tinubu said Nigeria carries a historic obligation under existing ECOWAS security arrangements to assist Benin. He warned that the situation demanded swift intervention to prevent further deterioration.
The attempted coup occurred on Sunday, when a group of soldiers identifying themselves as the “Military Committee for Refoundation” appeared on state television to announce the removal of President Patrice Talon. Loyalist forces, however, quickly regained control, thwarting the plot.
Following the failed takeover, ECOWAS announced the activation of its standby force.
According to the bloc, the regional force will comprise troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana, with a mandate “to support the Government and the Republican Army of Benin to preserve constitutional order and the territorial integrity of the Republic of Benin.”
