The Senate has approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to deploy Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin as part of an ECOWAS regional security mission.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the decision during Tuesday’s plenary after lawmakers, sitting in the Committee of the Whole, unanimously endorsed the request in line with Section 5, Part II of the Constitution.
Akpabio described the move as a decisive step toward protecting regional stability, noting that unrest in any neighbouring state poses a broader security threat. “An injury to one is an injury to all,” he said.
The Senate’s resolution will be forwarded to the President immediately.
Tinubu had sought legislative backing to support ECOWAS following Sunday’s failed coup attempt in Benin, where a military faction briefly announced the removal of President Patrice Talon before loyal forces restored order.
In response, ECOWAS ordered the deployment of its standby force—consisting of troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana—to help maintain constitutional order and safeguard Benin’s territorial integrity.
