Air Force details its actions in regional ECOWAS mission amid Benin unrest

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has issued a formal clarification regarding its role in the regional response to the attempted coup in the Republic of Benin on Sunday, stressing that every aspect of its involvement adhered strictly to established ECOWAS security arrangements.

In a statement released late Sunday, NAF spokesperson, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, explained that Nigerian military aircraft entered and operated within Beninese airspace under the authorisation of ECOWAS protocols and within the operational mandate of the ECOWAS Standby Force. He emphasised that Nigeria’s actions were consistent with its long-standing commitment to safeguarding peace and ensuring the stability of the West African sub-region.

According to Ejodame, the deployment was not unilateral. He noted that mission planning and execution were jointly coordinated with ECOWAS leadership as well as the government of Benin, ensuring full compliance with international procedures and cooperative defence standards.

The statement followed heightened tension in Cotonou earlier in the day, after bursts of gunfire were reported near President Patrice Talon’s private residence and armoured vehicles were seen positioned around the presidential palace. A group identifying itself as the “Military Committee for Refoundation” had claimed it had toppled the government and dismantled state institutions.

Beninese authorities quickly dismissed the claim. The Presidency of Togo announced that President Talon was unharmed, and Benin’s Interior Minister, Alassane Seidou, later appeared on national television to confirm that the brief mutiny had been quelled and that full government authority had been restored.