Nigeria has recalled the fighter aircraft it deployed to the Benin Republic after authorities confirmed that calm had returned to the neighbouring country following Sunday’s failed coup attempt.
Security sources said the jet, which had taken off from Lagos for surveillance and regional security monitoring, was ordered back to base on Sunday afternoon after new intelligence showed that loyalist troops in Benin had fully regained control of key state institutions. Officials also concluded that there was no immediate threat to Nigeria’s borders.
Security analyst Zagazola Makama reported on X that the attempted overthrow of President Patrice Talon was swiftly contained, with government forces restoring order in Cotonou before nightfall.
The mutinous officers, who identified themselves as the Military Committee for Refoundation and were led by Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, reportedly attacked President Talon’s residence in the Le Guézo area and briefly seized the national television station, where Tigri declared himself head of a “military re-establishment committee.”
Beninese media outlet TchadOne reported that Tigri announced the coup attempt during a broadcast on the state-owned channel. However, the presidency, quoted by AFP, confirmed that President Talon was unharmed and that loyalist forces were moving swiftly to neutralise the threat.
“This is a small group of people who only control the television,” the presidency said, adding that the military had reasserted control and that “the city and the country are completely secure.”
The incident adds to the growing list of political upheavals in West Africa, a region that has seen a surge in military takeovers in recent years, raising fresh concerns about democratic stability.
