Senate Backs Tinubu on Deployment of Nigerian Troops to Benin Republic
The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has approved a request by Bola Ahmed Tinubu to deploy Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin following a recent coup attempt.
The request, read on the floor of the Senate by Godswill Akpabio, Senate President, cited constitutional provisions under Section 5, Part 2 of the 1999 Constitution.
According to the letter from the presidency, the request followed an official appeal from the Beninese government for “exceptional and immediate” air and ground support to quell an “unconstitutional seizure of power” that threatened to destabilize democratic institutions in the neighbouring country.
The deployment is part of a broader intervention by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has ordered its standby force, including troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana, to assist Benin in restoring constitutional order and safeguarding its territorial integrity.
Nigeria had already acted swiftly after the coup attempt: fighter jets from the Nigerian Air Force secured Benin’s airspace and supported operations that helped dislodge the mutineers from key state facilities such as the national television station and a military camp.
Ground troops were deployed subsequently at the request of Beninese authorities, to support the protection of constitutional institutions and help contain armed groups.
With the Senate’s consent now in place, Nigeria’s deployment gains constitutional legitimacy, fulfilling the requirement that the legislature ratify foreign combat deployments.
According to the constitution, once troops are deployed abroad in “limited combat duty,” the President must seek Senate approval, which the Senate must grant or reject within a specified timeframe.
The Senate’s decision underscores Nigeria’s commitment to regional stability and to collective security frameworks under ECOWAS. It also reflects recognition of the gravity of the crisis in Benin, and of the potential regional fallout if the attempted seizure of power had succeeded.
