‘How God Saved Me From Benin Republic Crisis’, Dele Momodu Recounts

Veteran journalist and publisher, Chief Dele Momodu, has recounted what he described as a divine intervention that saved his life and prevented him from being caught in the middle of the recent political tension and attempted coup in Benin Republic.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Monday, Momodu narrated how his missing vehicle particulars unexpectedly altered his movement plans and kept him out of danger.

“I was going to head to Cotonou at 5 a.m., then to Lomé and to Ghana. But unfortunately, the night before, I had all my international documents, but my driver only had a photocopy of the particulars, he didn’t have the original,” Momodu said.

He explained that despite checking at his residences and offices in Lagos, he could not find the original documents. Eventually, he made the difficult decision to cancel the trip altogether.

“I searched for it, even in my two offices in Lagos, and I couldn’t get it. I decided I would abort the trip. I called my friend, Rotimi Okpe, and the man who speaks French in Benin Republic and told them in the middle of the night that we would not be able to make the trip,” he added.

Reflecting on the situation later, Momodu said he strongly believed his inability to travel was not ordinary but spiritual.

“That was what saved us. I was born in church, so I believe in spirituality and somehow God intervened. We would have been inside Benin Republic when the melodrama was ongoing because my car has Nigerian plate number, so I would have been easily identified in the community,” he stated.

Momodu expressed relief that the situation in Benin Republic was eventually brought under control, describing the development as deeply emotional for him due to his personal history with military regimes.

“I am happy that they foiled the coup, as someone who saw military dictatorship in my own country,” he said.

He also recalled a painful chapter of his life when he fled Nigeria during the era of military rule.

“When I escaped Nigeria on July 25, 1995, I escaped through the Seme Border into Cotonou. From there, I went to Lomé, Ghana, and from Ghana to England, where I stayed for three years. It brought sad memories,” Momodu said.