The President Bola Tinubu’s administration has confirmed that the Nigerian Air Force conducted military operations in Benin Republic to thwart an attempted military coup by a group of soldiers in the West African country on Sunday.

The government also noted that a request for the deployment of ground forces was also approved.

A statement on Sunday by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said the decision by the Tinubu government to deploy military assets to Benin Republic followed a two separate request from President Patrice Talon administration through its foreign ministry, seeking assistance to dismantle the coup plotters.

The statement said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commended the gallantry of Nigeria’s military on Sunday for responding swiftly to the request by the Government of Benin Republic to save its 35-year-old democracy from coup plotters who struck at dawn today.

“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 added that the Republic of Benin, through its ministry of foreign affairs, in a verbal note, requested immediate Nigerian air support in view of the urgency and seriousness of the situation and to safeguard the constitutional order, protect national institutions and ensure the security of the population.

The Nigerian government noted that Mr Tinubu also approved a request for the deployment of Air Force surveillance assets to monitor the country’s airspace including ground forces to restore stability to the country. 

It added, “In the second request, the authorities in Benin requested the deployment of Nigerian Air Force assets within Beninoise airspace for surveillance and rapid intervention operations under Benin-led coordination.The Benin government also requested Nigerian ground forces, strictly for missions approved by the Beninese Command authority in support of the protection of constitutional institutions and the containment of armed groups.”