Nigeria Intervenes in Benin Coup Attempt: West Africa Crisis Looms as Troops Deployed to Quash Mutiny & Restore Order

Published Dec 08, 2025, 11:32 PM | Updated Dec 08, 2025, 11:32 PM

Nigeria has swiftly intervened with military force in neighboring Benin to suppress a recent coup attempt, signaling a significant shift in its foreign policy and regional engagement. On Monday, Nigerian fighter jets and ground troops were dispatched to help restore order in Benin, aiming to avert a escalating political crisis in a nation grappling with persistent jihadist threats and serving as a crucial West African trade conduit.

This marks Nigeria's first foreign military intervention in nearly a decade, prompted by profound concerns over the potential emergence of an unfriendly military regime on its doorstep. Analysts suggest that the fear of instability spilling across its porous borders, coupled with the threat of increased violence, was a primary motivator for President Bola Tinubu's decisive action.

Tinubu's Swift Response to Coup Plotters

President Bola Tinubu authorized the deployment of fighter jets on Sunday to secure Benin's airspace, working in close coordination with his ally, Benin's President Patrice Talon. Talon was actively engaged in suppressing the coup attempt, reportedly orchestrated by a small faction of soldiers. Tinubu's office confirmed that the operation included critical surveillance and rapid intervention missions. This Nigerian-led effort is expected to receive further support from troops originating from Sierra Leone, Ivory Leone, and Ghana, all under the umbrella of the West African bloc, ECOWAS.

A New Stance Against Regional Instability

Unlike its more restrained reactions to recent coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and even neighboring Niger, Nigeria's response to the Benin situation has been notably assertive. The prospect of a hostile, military-controlled government in Benin, directly bordering Nigerian territories susceptible to jihadist incursions, was deemed intolerable by Abuja. Mucahid Durmaz, a senior Africa analyst at risk intelligence group Verisk Maplecroft, underscored the deep economic interdependence and shared, extensive border between the two nations.

Durmaz elaborated, saying, “For Nigeria, a military coup and potential collapse of state order in Benin risk triggering cross-border insecurity, illicit trade and arms trafficking, potentially destabilizing the southwest region, which the Nigerian economy is heavily reliant on.” He added that a change of power in Benin raised fears for Nigeria of being “surrounded by hostile and unpredictable neighbours.”

Benin's Internal Struggles and Regional Dynamics

Northern Benin has been a hotspot for jihadist attacks, with significant assaults in January and April claiming dozens of soldiers' lives. Despite Operation Mirador, launched in 2022 to stabilize this region bordering Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Togo, insecurity persists. The coup plotters reportedly cited this ongoing insecurity as a justification for their attempted putsch.

Nina Wilen, director of the Africa Programme at the Egmont Institute for International Relations, commented on ECOWAS's broader context, noting that the bloc “wants to show that they are doing something because they’ve been so completely inefficient in countering any of the coups that have taken place in the region during the past five years.” Benin's geographic proximity to Nigeria also facilitated this swift intervention, as pointed out by Vincent Foucher, a senior research fellow at the National Centre for Scientific Research in France.

Unfolding Events and Future Outlook

Details surrounding Nigeria's military actions and Sunday's failed coup were still emerging on Monday. Reports indicated Nigerian forces were involved in dislodging plotters from the state television channel – where soldiers had earlier claimed to have overthrown Talon – and from a military camp in Benin's largest city and commercial hub Cotonou, which experienced explosions and gunfire. Cotonou reportedly remained calm on Monday.

Late Sunday, President Talon addressed the nation, expressing solidarity with victims and those held by the fleeing mutineers, without providing specifics. He affirmed that all plotters had been cleared and vowed punishment. The whereabouts of Colonel Tigri Pascal, identified as the alleged coup leader, remain unknown.

Benin is preparing for a presidential election in April, expected to conclude President Talon's tenure. His finance minister, Romuald Wadagni, is the leading candidate for the ruling coalition and is widely seen as the frontrunner.