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The Digest:

Nigeria’s military intervention in the Benin Republic was triggered by a direct request from President Patrice Talon to halt Sunday’s coup attempt.

Key Points
  • President Bola Tinubu ordered NAF jets into Benin after an urgent appeal from Cotonou.
  • Fighter jets dropped explosives in strategic areas to deter and scatter mutineers.
  • Ground troops were deployed from Ikorodu, Badagry, and Owode in Ogun State.
  • The coup plotters, led by Colonel Tigri Pascal, had seized national TV and dissolved institutions.
  • ECOWAS authorized a regional standby force with troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana.
  • Benin’s President Talon confirmed loyalist forces regained control and condemned the “senseless adventure.”
  • Chief of Defence Staff Olufemi Oluyede confirmed all of Benin’s requests were fully executed.
In a swift, coordinated response, Nigeria projected power across its border to defend a neighbor’s democracy, a show of regional resolve that also questions the balance between foreign engagement and domestic security.

Sources: Premium Times, Presidential Statement, ECOWAS Communiqué, Military Sources