Senate Backs Tinubu’s Troop Deployment To Benin

By TOSAN OYAKHILOME-AKAHOMEN

THE Nigerian Senate has approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to deploy troops to Benin Republic to help restore order following an attempted military takeover in the neighbouring country. Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the decision after lawmakers adopted the request through a voice vote during the Committee of the Whole.

Although the request arrived shortly before the session, it was not subjected to debate. The senators voted in favour, fulfilling the constitutional requirement that the President must secure National Assembly approval within 14 days of deploying forces abroad under Section 5(5) of the 1999 Constitution.

The approval came amid reports that Nigerian Air Force personnel had already been deployed to Benin at the request of Beninese authorities to help quell the coup attempt. The intervention is believed to have stabilised the situation, and coup leader Tigri Pascal has been declared wanted.

Speaking after the vote, Akpabio said the decision would help Nigeria avert a humanitarian crisis and protect its borders from spillover insecurity. He commended President Tinubu for seeking legislative consent and said an approval letter would be transmitted to the Presidency immediately. According to him, supporting Benin’s democratic stability is crucial to Nigeria’s own national security.