By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
The Senate on Tuesday gave rapid approval to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s request to deploy Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin, endorsing what lawmakers described as an urgent, constitutionally compliant intervention to forestall the breakdown of democratic order in the neighbouring country following an attempted coup.
The endorsement came minutes after Senate President Godswill Akpabio read Tinubu’s letter seeking legislative authorisation, prompting immediate deliberation in the Committee of the Whole.
The chamber returned a swift verdict: Nigeria must not stand idle while instability brews next door.
After the vote, Akpabio announced, “Distinguished colleagues, the Senate hereby confirms the President’s request for the deployment of the Air Force and troops to the Republic of Benin to ensure a peace mission and restore order. Those in support say ‘aye’… The ayes have it.”
He commended Tinubu for formally seeking approval as required under Section 5(5) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates Senate consent before the Armed Forces can be sent on foreign missions.
According to Akpabio, the President “took the right step by complying with constitutional imperatives and acting decisively to protect regional stability.”
In his letter, Tinubu informed the Senate that Benin’s democratic institutions were under immediate threat from an “attempted unconstitutional seizure of power,” warning that the situation required urgent external support to prevent anti-democratic forces from toppling the government.
Citing Nigeria’s longstanding ties with Benin and collective security obligations under ECOWAS, Tinubu requested expedited approval to enable rapid deployment, especially of air assets needed to stabilise the situation.
He noted that, as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, Nigeria had a responsibility to support a member state in distress.
Senators agreed that the threat unfolding in Cotonou carried direct implications for Nigeria’s security, particularly in border communities already vulnerable to smuggling, terrorism and irregular migration.
They cautioned that allowing the crisis to escalate could trigger widespread instability and refugee inflows into Nigeria.
Lawmakers also highlighted the broader ECOWAS context, noting the string of coups that have swept Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Niger in recent years.
They argued that failing to act promptly in Benin could embolden anti-democratic actors across the region and undermine West Africa’s fragile security architecture.
ECOWAS had only days earlier condemned the attempted coup, insisting that member states must resist any resurgence of unconstitutional power grabs.
Senators reviewed operational, legal and diplomatic elements of the planned deployment before voting in favour.
Akpabio said the approval was issued without delay because “the situation demanded unity and urgency,” adding that the formal resolution would be transmitted to the President immediately.
For the Tinubu administration, the endorsement reinforces Nigeria’s leadership role in regional security and its commitment to defending democratic governance in West Africa.
For the Senate, the speed of Tuesday’s action signalled both the gravity of the threat and Nigeria’s determination to avoid being caught unprepared.
Akpabio captured the chamber’s sentiment plainly: “The impact of inaction on Nigeria’s security would have been grave. We have acted decisively, and in the national interest.”
