By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Nigerian Senate has approved President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s request to deploy the country’s armed forces to the Republic of Benin, following last weekend’s attempted military coup in the West African nation.
In a letter read on the floor of the Senate, President Tinubu sought legislative backing to deploy Nigerian troops as part of a regional peace enforcement mission, aimed at supporting constitutional order and preventing further instability in Benin Republic.
The Senate gave its approval during plenary on Tuesday, granting constitutional backing to the deployment, which falls under Section 5(4)(b) of the 1999 Constitution requiring Senate approval for external military operations.
The move comes after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) confirmed an attempted but failed military takeover in Benin, which it strongly condemned as an unconstitutional act.
Nigeria, as a leading ECOWAS member, is expected to play a central role in defending democracy across the sub-region.
