The Senate on Tuesday in Abuja approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to deploy Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin to help stabilise the country after an attempted military takeover over the weekend. The approval came after lawmakers reviewed the president’s letter during plenary and considered the request under the constitutional rules guiding military deployment outside the country.
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The decision was announced by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who said the lawmakers agreed that unrest in a nearby nation could cause wider trouble in the region. The approval will now be sent to President Tinubu as the final parliamentary authorisation needed for the mission.
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Tinubu had earlier written to the Senate, explaining that Nigeria carries a long-standing duty under ECOWAS agreements to support Benin during crises. He stated that the developing situation in Benin needed quick support from outside forces to prevent a deeper breakdown of order.
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The trouble in Benin started on Sunday when a group of soldiers identifying themselves as a military committee appeared on national television to announce that they had removed President Patrice Talon from office. Loyal forces in Benin later moved in and pushed back the group, regaining control of key areas in Cotonou and other parts of the country. Officials close to the government later confirmed that the national army had restored order and that normal activities were already returning.
Following the failed takeover, ECOWAS met and decided to activate its standby force. The bloc said it would send a combined regional team made up of troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana. The force is expected to assist Benin’s government and military in protecting its constitutional order and territorial control.
The Senate’s approval now allows Nigerian troops to join this regional operation. Lawmakers said the move is in line with Nigeria’s duty to support peace and stability within West Africa, especially when crises could spill across borders. The deployment will begin once the president receives the formal notice from the Senate.
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