Nigerian Air Force Launches Strikes in Benin as Tinubu, ECOWAS Back Efforts to Crush Coup Attempt

The Nigerian Air Force carried out airstrikes in the Republic of Benin on Sunday as part of a coordinated response to an attempted military takeover in the neighbouring country, a senior presidency official told AFP. The operation was conducted at the request of Benin’s government, which has been scrambling to contain a dawn coup attempt that briefly threw the capital, Cotonou, into uncertainty.

Air Force spokesman Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame confirmed that Nigerian aircraft were active in Benin, stating that the missions were executed “in line with ECOWAS protocols and the ECOWAS Standby Force mandate.” He did not reveal the precise targets of the strikes, though sources indicated that the actions formed part of a wider effort to dislodge renegade soldiers involved in the attempted seizure of power.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu later praised the Nigerian military for what he described as a swift and gallant intervention to support Benin’s 35-year-old democratic system. According to him, the Nigerian Armed Forces responded immediately to Benin’s request, stepping in to help secure constitutional order following the mutineers’ announcement on national television that President Patrice Talon had been removed from office.

Benin’s government confirmed earlier in the day that it had thwarted the coup attempt, after soldiers identifying themselves as the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR) appeared on state TV to proclaim a lieutenant colonel as the new head of state. They justified their actions by citing insecurity in northern Benin, grievances over treatment of fallen soldiers' families, and alleged unfair promotions within the military hierarchy.

Despite the dramatic television broadcast, a source close to President Talon assured AFP that the president was safe and accused the coup plotters of controlling little more than the television station. The source added that the regular army was regaining full control of Cotonou and that the situation was “just a matter of time” from returning to normal.

By midday, the atmosphere in Benin’s commercial capital was tense. AFP correspondents reported sporadic gunfire and military roadblocks near the presidential offices, even as civilians moved about in other parts of the city. Interior Minister Alassane Seidou described the uprising as an act of “mutiny” intended to destabilise state institutions, praising the Beninese Armed Forces for swiftly neutralising the threat.

The attempted coup has drawn strong condemnation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which labelled the soldiers’ actions “unconstitutional” and a “subversion of the will of the Beninese people.” The region has seen a troubling resurgence of coups in recent years, including in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau—raising fresh concerns about political stability in West Africa.

President Patrice Talon, 67, a wealthy businessman turned politician known as the “cotton king of Cotonou,” has led Benin since 2016 and is set to leave office in 2026 when his second and final term ends. His decade-long tenure has been marked by robust economic growth as well as mounting jihadist threats in the country's north. Though widely credited for modernising Benin’s economy, Talon has faced recurring accusations of authoritarian tendencies, with critics pointing to restrictions on political opposition and controversial electoral reforms.

As calm gradually returns to Cotonou, both Nigerian and Beninese authorities remain vigilant, signalling their determination to prevent the country from joining the growing list of West African states toppled by military coups.