In the early hours of Sunday, 7 December 2025, the West African region held its breath as a dramatic coup attempt unfolded in the neighboring Republic of Benin. Soldiers reportedly led by Pascal Tigri seized control of the national broadcaster, declared the dissolution of the government and constitution, and ordered the closure of airspace and borders. But by the end of the day, constitutional order had been restored — thanks in large measure to the swift and decisive intervention of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
The success of this intervention deserves public recognition. Yet, it also compels Nigerians to ask uneasy questions: If our military can respond with such clarity and effectiveness across borders, why have decades-long internal security challenges — kidnappings, insurgency, banditry — persisted unabated at home?
The Crisis in Benin and Nigeria’s Decisive Role
On Sunday morning, a faction of soldiers in Benin declared on national television that they were dissolving the government and replacing it with a military committee led by Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri. The group cited grievances such as alleged neglect of fallen soldiers, deteriorating security in northern Benin, and disenchantment with the political leadership.
The breakaway soldiers claimed to have removed the government of Patrice Talon — long-time head of state — and suspended the constitution, pledging to close Benin’s land, sea, and air borders.
Within hours, loyalist forces backed by ground troops and air support from Nigeria moved in. According to Nigeria’s presidency, President Tinubu authorized immediate deployment of fighter jets and ground troops in response to an urgent request from the Beninese authorities.
Reports indicate that Nigerian jets entered Benin’s airspace, and coordinated action with Beninese forces led to a swift dismantling of the coup plotters’ hold on the national television station and a military camp where they had regrouped.
By late Sunday, control had been reestablished: key government installations secured, borders and airspace reopened, and calm restored in the capital, Cotonou.
In an official statement, Tinubu commended the valor and professionalism of the Nigerian Armed Forces, describing their actions as a successful defense of democracy and regional stability.
Regional bodies also responded: ECOWAS and the African Union (AU) quickly condemned the military takeover attempt, reaffirming commitment to constitutional rule, democratic governance, and territorial integrity.
In short: the coup bid failed — and rapid Nigerian intervention played a pivotal role. A triumph not just for Benin, but for democracy in West Africa.
A Victory for Regional Democracy — That Deserves Applause
President Tinubu’s decisive action reinforces several important truths:
Nigeria remains central to regional security. At a time when coups have become distressingly frequent in parts of West Africa, Nigeria’s readiness and capacity to respond sends a powerful signal in favor of regional stability.
Swift, coordinated military and diplomatic response matters. The moment the request for help came from Cotonou, Nigeria mobilized both air and ground forces, executed operations to reclaim key institutions, and helped restore order — all in a matter of hours. This kind of rapid intervention can be decisive in preventing protracted instability.
Defending democracy transcends borders. Nigeria’s actions under Tinubu show that protecting democracy in neighboring states can be part of our national interest — especially when instability next door threatens broader regional order.
We should congratulate President Tinubu and the Nigerian Armed Forces for their role in this moment. Their success underscores Nigeria’s historical role as a guarantor of democratic norms in the sub-region, and a pillar of West African security.
But Nigeria’s Internal Security Crisis Demands Equal Urgency
Yet, as we applaud this external success, we must confront a troubling contrast: inside our own borders, many Nigerians remain vulnerable — to insurgency, kidnappings, banditry, and violence. The speed and efficiency displayed in Cotonou begs the question: why aren’t we seeing the same urgency in addressing internal insecurity?
Consider the scope of violence within Nigeria:
Hundreds of schoolchildren kidnapped, families devastated, unknown numbers still in captivity.
Communities across states such as Zamfara, Plateau, Niger, Kaduna — long suffering from banditry and insurgency — remain insecure, despite repeated government assurances.
The insurgent group ISWAP continues to operate in the northeast, killing, displacing, and creating humanitarian crises with alarming regularity.
If Nigeria’s air capability and tactical response could be mobilized with such speed to crush a coup in another country, why are similar resources not deployed to rescue kidnapped victims, dismantle insurgent camps, or secure Boko Haram-infested enclaves?
Why was a high-ranking officer such as Musa Uba — reportedly left stranded in the forest for days before being recaptured by ISWAP — not rescued with the same urgency applied in Benin?
If our government can act decisively abroad, why does it seem paralyzed when facing crisis at home?
Are We Watching Capacity — or Political Will?
These contradictions suggest that Nigeria’s insecurity may not stem solely from lack of capacity; more troubling is the possibility of institutional hesitation or selective political will.
When regional stability is at stake, the government demonstrates clarity: rapid deployment, coordinated action, decisive results.
Yet when Nigerian lives are at risk, the tempo slows, responses are delayed, and citizens wait — sometimes for days, weeks, or months — for results.
This discrepancy raises hard questions about priorities. If foreign democracy is worth mobilizing jets and elite troops for, why isn’t the same energy devoted to protecting Nigerian lives and securing our own territory and people?
When citizens see fighter jets and elite strike forces deployed abroad but not over their hometowns, despair and mistrust grow.
The International Implication: When States Seem “Unable or Unwilling” to Protect Their Citizens
Under international law and regional security norms, failure to protect citizens from mass atrocities or widespread insecurity can erode a state’s legitimacy and open the door to external intervention — whether humanitarian, military, or diplomatic.
By acting swiftly to protect Benin’s democracy, Nigeria under Tinubu has reaffirmed its role and capacity in regional security. But somewhere along the line, that same capacity appears to have been withheld from many Nigerians facing daily threats to their lives and livelihoods.
The painful impression is that protecting foreign democracy was more urgent than defending Nigerian citizens — a perception that undermines confidence in the government’s commitment to internal security and accountability.
This disparity weakens Nigeria’s moral standing. It also lends credibility to foreign voices — voices invoking external assistance not for Benin or Niger, but for Nigeria itself — when citizens ask: “If we cannot secure our own country, are we still capable of protecting our people?”
A Call for Consistency: What Nigeria’s People Deserve
In acknowledging this decisive success in Benin, Nigerians must demand the same energy, courage, and urgency for security at home. Specifically:
Let the jets that flew into Cotonou also patrol the skies over troubled regions of Nigeria.
Let the ground troops that marched to protect foreign democracy also march into troubled communities to rescue victims, dismantle insurgent strongholds, and restore rule of law.
Let the political will and coordination that saved Benin’s constitutional order also fuel efforts to end kidnappings, banditry, and insurgency across Nigeria.
Democracy is not only preserved abroad; it must be protected at home. National strength is not measured only by how fast one can project power beyond borders — but by how effectively one secures peace, dignity, and life for one’s own citizens.
If President Tinubu and his government can seize the moment and restore democracy in Benin in less than 24 hours, then by the same standard they owe Nigerians nothing less than a resolute campaign to end insecurity at home — once and for all.
Conclusion: A Triumph, and a Mirror
The successful thwarting of the coup in the Republic of Benin stands as a powerful testament to Nigeria’s capacity and readiness to defend democracy in the region. For that — and for the courage and professionalism shown by the Nigerian Armed Forces — President Tinubu deserves our congratulations.
But let this triumph not become a mere headline. Let it serve as a mirror reflecting what is possible. And let Nigerians demand that the same clarity, decisiveness, and urgency that defended foreign democracy also be applied to defending Nigerian lives, dignity, and peace on our own soil.
The jets that soared for Benin should not just be celebrated — they should be deployed where they are most needed, over Sambisa Forest, Zamfara, Plateau, Niger, Kachia, Mangu, Kontagora.
For true national strength — and true respect for democracy — begins not just beyond our borders, but firmly within them.
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