President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria has expressed happiness that Nigeria Troops both air and land soldiers have successfully foiled the coup attempt in Benin Republic on Sunday, saying, latest report from the Benin Republic indicated that Colonel Pascal Tigri, the leader of the mutineers who seized the country’s National Television on Sunday, is on the run and some other members of the group have been arrested as the defence and security forces in the country thwarted the attempted putsch, and, according to the Nigeria President, Nigeria government acted on two separate requests from the Government of Benin Republic, saying, President Tinubu “first ordered Nigerian Air Force fighter jets to enter the country and take over the airspace to help dislodge the coup plotters from the National TV and a military camp where they had regrouped” and secondly ordered ground troops into the Benin Republic territory which the Nigeria military troops have been confirmed to have taken positions in both air and land space in the Benin Republic with some local residents saying a few minutes ago that the gun battle is still ongoing.

Bayo Onanuga, the Spokesperson to the Nigeria President in a number of statements on Sunday said; “Coup In Benin Fails. Mutineers in military uniform, who attempted to overthrow President Patrice Talon’s democratic government on Sunday in the Republic of Benin, have failed. The mutineers seized the National TV after failing to enter President Talon’s residence.

The latest report from Cotonou said the National Guard has taken control of the situation and surrounded the television station. According to 24 Hours In Benin, discussions are underway with the mutineers, now holed up inside the station.

Benin’s Interior Minister, Alassane Seidou says the country’s armed forces have thwarted an attempted coup. His statement came after soldiers appeared on state television and announced the removal of President Patrice Talon, the closure of borders and suspension of political parties.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commended the gallantry of Nigeria’s military on Sunday for responding swiftly to the request by the Government of Benin Republic to save its 35-year-old democracy from coup plotters who struck at dawn today.

Acting on two separate requests from the Government of Benin, President Tinubu first ordered Nigerian Air Force fighter jets to enter the country and take over the airspace to help dislodge the coup plotters from the National TV and a military camp where they had regrouped.

The Republic of Benin, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a Note Verbal, requested 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.”

In the second request, the authorities in Benin requested the deployment of Nigerian Air Force assets within Beninoise airspace for surveillance and rapid intervention operations under Benin-led coordination.

The Benin government also requested Nigerian ground forces, “strictly for missions approved by the Beninese Command authority in support of the protection of constitutional institutions and the containment of armed Groups.”

Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, said all the requests have been fulfilled, with Nigerian ground forces now in Benin.

“Ours is to comply with the order of the Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces, President Tinubu,” he said.

Constitutional order was upended in the Republic of Benin, Nigeria’s neighbour, when some soldiers led by Colonel Pascal Tigri announced a coup on Sunday morning. The putschists seized the National TV and claimed they had toppled President Patrice Talon and suspended all democratic institutions.

It took some hours before the government’s loyal forces, assisted by Nigeria, took control and flushed out the coup plotters from the National TV.

In his remarks after the restoration of the democratic and constitutional order, President Tinubu saluted the Nigerian armed forces for standing firm as a protector and defender of democracy.

“Today, the Nigerian armed forces stood gallantly as a defender and protector of constitutional order in the Republic of Benin on the invitation of the government. Our armed forces acted within the ambit of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. They have helped stabilise a neighbouring country and have made us proud of their commitment to sustaining our democratic values and ideals since 1999. Nigeria stands firmly with the government and people of the Republic of Benin.”

The latest report from the Benin Republic said Colonel Pascal Tigri, the leader of the mutineers who seized the country’s National TV on Sunday, is on the run.
However, some other members of the group have been arrested as the defence and security forces in the country thwarted the attempted putsch.

Benin’s interior minister, Alassane Seidou has appeared on national TV to announce that the coup has been thwarted. “Early on Sunday morning, 7 December 2025, a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny aimed at destabilising the state and its institutions.

“Faced with this situation, the Beninese armed forces and their leadership, true to their oath, remained committed to the republic. Their response allowed them to retain control of the situation and foil the attempt.

“The government therefore urges the population to go about their activities as normal”.

Omoyele Sowore, the Founder of SaharaReporters news media and a human rights activist, in a statement on Sunday, said; “the so-called coups in Guinea-Bissau and the latest episode in the Benin Republic share disturbing similarities. In Guinea-Bissau, the phony coup unfolded after a criminal former president effectively invited the military to intervene to avoid announcing elections and relinquishing power to an opposition figure with a popular mandate.

It was not a seizure of power to restore order, but a manipulation of force to escape democratic progress. The situation in Benin raises equally troubling questions. There are strong indications that President Patrice Talon, a deeply shady figure and a close ally of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, may have been aware of the coup plot, allowed it to unfold, and then used it as a political diversion to shift public attention away from his growing unpopularity.

In this sense, instability becomes a calculated tool of political survival rather than an unforeseen threat to democracy. Of course, I am opposed to military rule in all its forms. I am allergic to it. Whether invited, staged, or exploited, coups are never a solution to political failure. The answer to bad civilian leadership is not guns, military jackboots, and camouflage, but accountability, popular struggle, and genuine democracy”.

It would be recalled that a group of soldiers appeared on Benin’s national television on Sunday morning claiming to have seized power. The group, which called itself the Military Committee for Re-foundation, announced the removal of President Patrice Talon and all state institutions. Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri was thereafter appointed president of the military committee, according to the soldier.

The signal of the national television was cut later in the morning. The French embassy said on X that “gunfire was reported at Camp Guezo” near the president’s official residence and urged French citizens to remain indoors.

Shortly after the soldiers’ declaration, a source close to Talon told AFP the president was safe and the regular army was regaining control. Benin’s Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari also told Reuters “the situation is under control,” while government spokesperson Wilfried Houngbedji told AP “everything is fine”, according to Al-Jazeera news network.