The Nigerian Senate has approved President Bola Tinubu’s call for Nigerian troops to be deployed to the Republic of Benin, endorsing a move aimed at helping the neighbouring country regain stability after last weekend’s attempted coup.
The approval was announced on Tuesday by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who said lawmakers had examined the president’s request in the Committee of the Whole in line with Section 5, Part II of the Constitution, according to Channels Television.
Senators voted in favour of the deployment, giving Tinubu the legislative backing needed for the regional security operation.
Akpabio described the Senate’s decision as both urgent and necessary, warning that turmoil in nearby nations poses risks to the entire sub-region. “An injury to one is an injury to all,” he said, noting that Nigeria is duty-bound to support its neighbours under ECOWAS protocols.
The Senate will now transmit its resolution to the president.
In his letter seeking authorisation, Tinubu argued that Nigeria carries a longstanding responsibility to assist Benin under existing West African security arrangements. He cautioned that the situation demands “urgent external intervention” to stop it from escalating further.
The New Daily Prime reported Tinubu informed the Senate that the government of Benin Republic is currently dealing with “an attempted unconstitutional seizure of power and disruption and destabilization of democratic institutions.”
He emphasised that the crisis “requires urgent external intervention.”
Justifying the need for Nigerian involvement, Tinubu underscored the strong bilateral relationship and adherence to regional security principles:
“Considering the close ties of brotherhood and friendship which exists between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin, as well as the principles of collective security upheld within ECOWAS, it is our duty to provide the support as requested by the government.”
