The Senate has given rapid approval to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s request to deploy Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin as part of an emergency peacekeeping mission following a failed coup attempt in the neighbouring country.
The approval came last ,Tuesday after the upper chamber dissolved into the Committee of the Whole to consider the President’s letter, which was read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary.
The deliberation was brief, lasting less than two minutes before lawmakers returned to plenary to adopt the request without any debate.
Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), had earlier moved that the chamber should immediately consider the communication from the President, prompting the urgent committee session.
In his letter titled “Deployment of Nigerian Troops to the Republic of Benin for Peace Mission,” President Tinubu invoked Section 5(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), stating that the request followed consultations with the National Defence Council.
He explained that the government of Benin Republic sought Nigeria’s “exceptional and immediate” air support after an attempted “unconstitutional seizure of power” threatened to destabilise democratic institutions in Cotonou.
Tinubu noted that Nigeria, considering its longstanding bonds of friendship, brotherhood, and regional security commitments under ECOWAS, had a duty to respond promptly.
“The situation, as reported by the Government of Benin, requires urgent external intervention,” the President stated. “It is our duty to provide the support requested. I hope that the Senate will consider and approve this request expeditiously.”
The attempted coup was reportedly carried out by officers under the banner of the Military Committee for Refoundation, led by Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri, who briefly took over the state-owned television station on Sunday, announcing the ouster of President Patrice Talon. The rebellion was swiftly contained following the intervention of fighter jets and troops deployed with President Tinubu’s approval.
