Defence chief Olufemi Oluyede has confirmed that Nigerian troops have arrived in the Benin Republic following an order by President Bola Tinubu to deploy them to restore stability in the country after a failed military coup on Sunday.

This was confirmed on Sunday in a statement by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, who said the deployment followed a request by President Patrice Talon for military assistance from the Nigerian government.  

“Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, said all the requests have been fulfilled, with Nigerian ground forces now in Benin,” the presidency stated.

Mr Oluyede added, “Ours is to comply with the order of the commander-in-chief of our armed forces, President Tinubu. Constitutional order was upended in the Republic of Benin, Nigeria’s neighbour, when some soldiers led by Colonel Pascal Tigri announced a coup on Sunday morning. The putschists seized the national TV and claimed they had toppled President Patrice Talon and suspended all democratic institutions. It took some hours before the government’s loyal forces, assisted by Nigeria, took control and flushed out the coup plotters from the national TV.”

In a national address on Sunday evening, Mr Talon announced that stability had been restored following the failed attempt by coup leader Pascal Tigri and his small group of soldiers to hijack the government. 

He noted that he was taking appropriate measures as the leader of the country to “thwart the actions of adventurers seeking to drag us back into a past of painful memory”.

Praising the swiftness of the Nigerian military in quelling the crisis, Mr Tinubu said, “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. Our armed forces acted within the ambit of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. 

“They have helped stabilise a neighbouring country and have made us proud of their commitment to sustaining our democratic values and ideals since 1999. Nigeria stands firmly with the government and people of the Republic of Benin.”