Nigeria helped foil coup attempt in neighboring state – report
Nigerian airstrikes played a decisive role in crushing an attempted coup in neighboring Benin after mutinous soldiers tried to seize power and capture President Patrice Talon, according to a government statement.
A group of soldiers briefly seized state television early Sunday, announcing Talon’s ousting and the suspension of the constitution, citing an alleged deterioration in security in northern Benin.
According to a report published after a cabinet meeting on Monday, the government said the mutineers first targeted top military officials, including the president’s military chief of staff, General Bertin Bada, whose wife was killed when they stormed his home. The soldiers also abducted General Abou Issa, the chief of staff of the army, and Colonel Faizou Gomina, who were not released until Monday morning, the authorities reported.
“Nigeria came to our assistance by carrying out airstrikes later in the day, which immobilized some of the armored vehicles used by the mutineers,” the Benin government stated.
The authorities said the mutineers clashed with the Republican Guard around 5am local time as they attempted to storm Talon’s residence, resulting in casualties on “both sides” before loyal troops forced them to retreat. No death toll was provided.
The rebels later tried to open new fronts from the Togbin military base, but the army encircled it and called for external air support, it stated.
The whereabouts of Colonel Pascal Tigri, the officer appointed as leader of the short-lived military government, remain unknown.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu had earlier announced that he ordered fighter jets to enter the neighboring country and “take over the airspace to help dislodge the coup plotters from the national TV and a military camp where they had regrouped.”
Tinubu said the move followed two requests from Beninese authorities for Nigerian ground and air force assistance.
West African regional bloc ECOWAS has also ordered a standby force to support Benin’s army in preserving constitutional order, with an Ivorian special forces unit deployed to Cotonou for potential follow-on operations.
The former French colony is preparing for a presidential election on April 12, 2026. It is expected to mark the end of Talon’s tenure, which began in 2016.
