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The Senate on Tuesday began consideration of President Bola Tinubu’s request seeking approval to deploy Nigerian troops to the Benin Republic as part of efforts to safeguard the neighbouring country’s democratic institutions.
The request, contained in a letter read on the Senate floor by President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, detailed Tinubu’s explanation that the troops would be sent on a Peace Mission “in compliance with Section 5(4) Part II of the 1999 Constitution” and after “due consultations with the National Defence Council.”
Tinubu informed lawmakers that the deployment followed a formal plea from the Republic of Benin in response to the attempted military coup in the country over the weekend.
The Senate subsequently referred the request to the ‘Committee of the Whole’ for immediate deliberation, with lawmakers expected to debate the scope, legality and implications of the proposed deployment in the coming hours.
Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on Sunday ordered a swift military intervention in the Republic of Benin after the neighbouring country reportedly sent two urgent requests for help to repel a group of soldiers who attempted to overthrow its 35-year-old democratic government at dawn.
The move, confirmed late Sunday in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, saw Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets enter Benin’s airspace to dislodge the mutinous troops who had seized the National TV station and regrouped at a military camp.
According to the statement, Benin Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a Note Verbal requesting “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.”
A second request followed shortly after, asking Nigeria to deploy air assets for surveillance and rapid-response missions under Benin-led coordination.
