The Senate has agreed to President Bola Tinubu’s proposal to send Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin to help restore peace and stability after last weekend’s failed coup.
This was disclosed today by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during a plenary session. The request was considered by parliamentarians in the Committee of the Whole, as required by section 5, Part 11 of the Constitution.
The Senators all voted in favor of the deployment, which gave the regional security intervention legal support.
Akpabio called the move a step in the right direction and said that instability in any neighboring state is a threat to the whole region.
The congressman said, “An injury to one is an injury to all.”
He stressed that Nigeria needs to help its Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) partner.
The Senate’s letter of approval will be sent to President Tinubu right away.
Tinubu wrote to the Senate to ask for their permission to send troops to the Benin Republic. He stated that Nigeria has a duty to help Benin because of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) security arrangements that are already in place.
The president said that the issue needs “urgent external intervention” to help restore order and keep things from getting worse.
Some soldiers in Benin Republic tried to overthrow the government on Sunday by saying that President Patrice Talon was no longer in charge.
The soldiers, who dubbed themselves the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR), went on national television to say that they had met and decided that “Mr. Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic.”
But the military of the country stopped the effort and took back power.
“The regular army is getting back in charge.” Sources close to Talon added, “The city (Cotonou) and the country are completely safe.” “It’s only a matter of time before things get back to normal. The clean-up is going smoothly.
After the failed coup, ECOWAS indicated it would send a backup force to the area.
The regional group said, “After talking with the Heads of State and Government of the Mediation and Security Council, the Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government has ordered the deployment of parts of the ECOWAS Standby Force to the Republic of Benin right away.”
The Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Republic of Sierra Leone, the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, and the Republic of Ghana would all provide troops to the Regional Force.
“The Force will help the Government and the Republican Army of Benin keep the Republic of Benin’s constitutional order and its territorial integrity.”
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