Attempted Coup: President Of Benin Republic Called Tinubu Directly And Asked For Help – Christopher Musa Reveals

The Minister of Defence, retired General Christopher Musa, has revealed that Nigeria thwarted an attempted coup in the Republic of Benin within 12 hours.

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, Musa disclosed that the intervention followed the Republic of Benin’s direct request for assistance.

Responding to a question on whether the President of the Republic of Benin personally contacted President Bola Tinubu, Musa confirmed the direct nature of the appeal.

“Yes, yes, of course. For help, definitely,” he said.

Asked whether it was a direct call, Musa replied, “It was a direct call. There was no way we could have taken an action without the President’s approval. So he called directly to Mr President.

“Mr President called and gave the directive, and then we called the troops, and we moved in quickly. Within 12 hours, we had already moved in and were able to secure the area.”

The defence minister said the attempted coup occurred on a Sunday morning and was neutralised before the end of the day.

“Just a few weeks ago, we had to step in to stop the coup in the Benin Republic. That was timely. It happened on a Sunday morning. I was going to church when the issue came up.

“We stood there, fought it, and by evening, we had secured the whole place. Our troops are still there. We were just about pulling them out,” he said.

According to Musa, the rapid response highlighted Nigeria’s growing military capacity and its commitment to regional stability.

“So, to tell you the kind of capacities we have and what we can do, we must build our own capacity so that we can secure our region, secure our country, and Africa in general,” he added.

The attempted overthrow of the Beninese government, which occurred on December 7, 2025, was short-lived and was later confirmed by Beninese authorities to have been suppressed.