The Republic of Benin has revealed how it requested military support from Nigeria and other ECOWAS member states to thwart last Sunday’s attempted coup against President Patrice Talon. Benin’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olushegun Bakari, disclosed this on Thursday while addressing journalists on the sidelines of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers Summit in Abuja.
Bakari lauded Nigeria’s swift intervention, describing it as pivotal in preventing a potentially catastrophic escalation in densely populated areas where the insurgents had fortified themselves. He said while Benin’s military, particularly the Republican Guard, successfully repelled the insurgents, support from Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Sierra Leone under the ECOWAS protocol helped minimise civilian casualties.
He said, “We requested the intervention under the ECOWAS protocol from Nigeria and other countries like Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Ghana, who also offered their support, after Benin made the request. We asked for the support of our brothers and sisters, not because our army was not capable of handling it.”
Bakari explained that the insurgents had barricaded themselves in a military barracks near civilian neighbourhoods, making direct confrontation risky. “Why did we ask for support, especially from Nigeria? It was mainly because the area where they had established themselves was surrounded by civilians. We didn’t want to risk significant casualties,” he said.
He added that the intervention enabled Benin’s forces to neutralise the rebels without major destruction, preventing the insurgents from seizing key installations, including the airport. Bakari thanked President Bola Tinubu and other ECOWAS leaders for their timely support.
The minister emphasised that the coup attempt ultimately failed, but the rapid regional response highlighted the continued relevance of ECOWAS protocols in safeguarding democracy in West Africa.
