Cross-border security cooperation ‘stopped Benin coup’
Nigerian ministers have credited fast cross-border coordination with helping Benin Republic crush a recent coup attempt and restore order within hours. Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, and Defence Minister, Christopher Musa, explained in Abuja that Benin requested urgent military support after rogue soldiers tried to seize power in Cotonou. They said Nigeria worked closely with Benin and other ECOWAS states, including Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Sierra Leone, to respond before the mutiny could spread or cause mass casualties. According to the ministers, Beninese forces remained in charge of operations on the ground, but regional backing was crucial in securing key locations and denying the plotters access to strategic sites such as the airport and national television. Nigeria’s support reportedly included the deployment of Air Force fighter jets to help secure Benin’s airspace and dislodge mutineers from a military […]