Nigeria is set to send troops to the Republic of Benin after the Senate granted approval for the deployment in response to last weekend’s attempted coup in the neighbouring country.
The approval followed a request from Tinubu, who told lawmakers that Nigeria has a historical duty under ECOWAS security agreements to support Benin in moments of instability.
He said the situation demands urgent intervention to help restore order and prevent a wider breakdown.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the decision during Tuesday’s plenary after the lawmakers considered the request in the Committee of the Whole.
The senators voted unanimously in favour of the deployment. Akpabio described the move as necessary, saying instability in any nearby country poses risks to the entire region.
“An injury to one is an injury to all,” he said while stressing Nigeria’s responsibility to support its ECOWAS partner.
The Senate’s consent letter will be transmitted to Tinubu without delay.
The attempted coup in Benin unfolded on Sunday when soldiers identifying themselves as the Military Committee for Refoundation appeared on national television to declare President Patrice Talon removed from office.
The country’s regular forces, however, swiftly regained control.
Sources close to Talon said Cotonou and the rest of the country were secure and that normalcy was returning.
In reaction to the development, ECOWAS ordered an immediate deployment of elements of its standby force to Benin.
The force will include troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, and is expected to support Benin’s government and military in preserving constitutional order.
Benin authorities have since announced the arrest of several soldiers linked to the failed takeover while assuring citizens that the situation is under control.
