According to a statement by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, the Benin government formally requested Nigerian military assistance through a diplomatic note after soldiers led by Colonel Pascal Tigri seized the national television station and announced the suspension of democratic institutions.
President Bola Tinubu authorised the Nigerian Air Force to deploy fighter jets into Benin’s airspace to help dislodge the coup plotters from the national broadcaster and a military camp where they had regrouped. A second request followed, seeking surveillance operations and rapid intervention assets under Beninese coordination as loyalist forces struggled to regain control.
Within hours, loyal troops backed by Nigerian forces recaptured the national broadcaster and neutralised the coup attempt, ensuring President Patrice Talon’s government remained intact.