Senate Okays Troop Deployment To Benin As ECOWAS Says Community In State Of Emergency

Nigeria, Sahel states differ over aircraft landing in Burkina Faso

The Senate on Tuesday approved a request from President Bola Tinubu to deploy Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin as part of a regional peace and stabilisation mission aimed at safeguarding democratic governance in West Africa.

The approval followed the reading of a formal presidential correspondence in which the President sought the Senate’s consent to authorise military deployment to the neighbouring country to forestall an unconstitutional seizure of power and prevent the destabilisation of democratic institutions.
Following the presentation of the letter, the Senate resolved into a Committee of the Whole to deliberate on the President’s request.

The motion to go into the committee session was moved and seconded after the Senate President called for a voice vote, with the majority of the senators responding in the affirmative.

During the closed-door session, senators examined the implications of the proposed deployment, including the potential for mass refugee movement into Nigeria and the security impact on border communities.

After deliberations, the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favour of granting approval for the deployment of the Nigerian Armed Forces to the Republic of Benin.

Upon reverting to plenary, the Senate President asked members to confirm that the report accurately reflected the discussions of the Committee of the Whole. The chamber responded affirmatively.

A final voice vote was taken on the confirmation of the President’s action, with the majority again voting “aye,” thereby formalising the Senate’s consent.

In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio commended the President for seeking constitutional approval and for taking steps to prevent a potential democratic breakdown in the region.

He stressed that the stabilisation mission was critical not only for Benin but also for Nigeria’s national security.

“We believe the President has taken the right step,” the Senate President said. “This action protects our borders, prevents criminality, and upholds democracy in West Africa. A duty to one is a duty to all.”
He added that the Senate’s letter of consent would be transmitted to the President immediately.

Escalating Crisis: West Africa In Emergency State – ECOWAS
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has raised the alarm that West Africa is currently in a state of emergency following an increase in security crises that have plagued the region.
The president of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, gave this warning on Tuesday in Abuja, while delivering his remarks at the opening of the 55th Meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council in Abuja.

Touray admonished regional stakeholders to engage frequently with Member States beyond the two statutory sessions to address urgent challenges, including increasing political instability, security threats, and worsening humanitarian conditions across the region.

He said the region has been beset with terrorism, banditry and cross-border armed groups even as he demanded coordinated regional action. He noted that the area must pay close attention to the political instability in Guinea-Bissau, the attempted coup in Benin, Guinea’s transition process, as well as the upcoming elections in Member States.

He stressed the need for coordinated efforts to strengthen counter-terrorism and anti-organised crime frameworks while preserving unity within ECOWAS.

He decried the rising crisis that has led to an increasing number of forcibly displaced persons in the region, which has hit a record 7.6 million as of October 2025—an increase from 7.4 million recorded in March.

He urged governments to take steps capable of reversing the trend, stressing the human cost borne by families affected by insecurity.

Also speaking, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, Alhaji Musa Timothy Kabba, lamented threats to democracy following the recent coups, even as he warned that citizens are losing confidence.

He insisted that Member States must move beyond rhetoric to deliver concrete results, saying the public “expects seriousness, unity and purpose.”

Meanwhile, there is another twist to the crisis in the region as controversy trailed the quick dispatch of a military aircraft by Nigeria to stop last Sunday’s failed coup in the Benin Republic.

This situation is compounded by the claims of the Confederation of Sahel States that Burkina Faso detained eleven Nigerian military personnel for allegedly violating its airspace.

However, Nigeria has rejected the allegation, with the Nigerian Air Force saying the aircraft involved made an emergency landing due to a technical fault and had complied fully with airspace procedures.

Nigeria had sent the C1 30 military aircraft to Benin to support the government of Patrice Talon, and this appeared to have triggered a web of complicated and dangerous regional power games that were unfolding.

Experts suggest that the leaders of the failed coup in Benin have links to the Sahel countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, which had exited the ECOWAS. If the coup had succeeded, they would allegedly have dragged Benin into the AES countries.

In the aftermath of the failed coup in the Benin Republic on Sunday, authorities in the Republic of Niger have reportedly introduced new restrictions on goods entering the country from Nigeria, a move attributed to growing security concerns across the Sahel.

On Tuesday, Niger’s military government ordered mandatory inspections for all goods entering from Nigeria, an order that requires that miscellaneous cargo must now be offloaded at designated entry points.

The directive was issued by Colonel Mohamed Yacouba Siddo of Niger’s Customs Formalities Corporation, and it requires all cargo from Nigeria to be offloaded and inspected at official entry points before travelling further inland.

This message was shared on X by security analyst Brant Grant, as goods classified as miscellaneous items will be subject to the most stringent checks by the Nigerien authorities. The rule must be enforced with exception and goods will be cleared only if supported by valid documentation from recognised ports of discharge.

“For security requirements, all goods originating from Nigeria must be unloaded and inspected at the entry offices before any transit formalities,” the directive said.

Following the face-off between Nigeria and Niger in the aftermath of the coup that toppled the government of President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023, trade between the two neighbours, which typically spans foodstuffs, manufactured products, fuel, and consumer goods, has plummeted.

Speaking to our correspondent on Tuesday, public affairs analyst, Dr Katch Ononuju, said the situation in the region is being escalated for various reasons, and this could threaten the regional bloc with fragmentation.

He pointed out that the leaders of the failed coup in Benin were allegedly anti-French and perhaps wanted to liaise with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, a move that Nigeria frowned upon and moved quickly to quell by sending a military aircraft to Benin.

He said, however, that in trying to save Benin, Nigeria incurred the wrath of Burkina Faso, which accused it of violating its airspace. He said the Nigerian government must be cautious in handling the crisis, warning that the escalation could get out of hand.

He also decried the imposition of trade restrictions on Nigeria by Nigeria, stressing that it is a result of Nigeria’s position against the junta leaders in Niamey and the lack of diplomatic tact in handling the situation.

Dr Christian Okeke, a senior lecturer with the Department of Political Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra state, who specialises in international relations, described the situation as very challenging for Nigeria’s foreign policy, which has brought to the attention of the national leadership the imperative of giving priority to the country’s external relations.

He said there has not been harmonisation of foreign relations experts to chart a rational, comprehensive and effective foreign policy for the country. Instead, this critical role has been left in the hands of politicians, and the result is the embarrassing incidents that Nigeria faces daily.

“The trade embargo placed on Nigeria by the Republic of Niger ought to have been expected and avoided.

“The developments in Nigeria’s neighbours, especially the military coups, ought to have necessitated an effective foreign policy response aimed at maintaining the good neighbourliness policy, but this has not been so.

“Nigeria had instead chosen confrontation over diplomacy, forgetting that such could destabilise the political and economic stability of the country.

“With the formation of the Sahelian Confederation, Nigeria ought to have fashioned a new strategy for engagement, which never took place.”

The university don warned against allowing geo-political dynamics to throw the sub-region into a battlefield.

“More so, Nigeria must respect the territorial integrity of other sovereign states and see the sense in focusing on her internal security challenges for now rather than courting more enemies for herself within the international system,” he added.

Regarding the alleged violation of Burkina Faso’s airspace by a Nigerian Air Force jet, he stated that this is a matter that needs to be handled with extreme caution and should not be allowed to escalate.

“If the Burkinabe government is saying that Nigeria did not get clearance before incursion into its airspace, this needs to be taken seriously and handled diplomatically.

“Essentially, Nigeria must take its foreign relations seriously and ensure that experts are saddled with the responsibility of driving diplomacy.”

Nigeria, Alliance of Sahel States Differ over Aircraft Landing in Burkina Faso

Nigeria and the Alliance of Sahel States have expressed divergent views over the landing of a Nigerian military aircraft in Burkina Faso.

The allied military-led nations of the Sahel collectively threatened action against the violations of their airspace.

The Alliance of Sahel States — made up of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso — said in a joint statement that the aircraft had been carrying 11 military personnel and did not have permission to fly over Burkina Faso.

“An aircraft belonging to the Air Force of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, type C-130, was forced to land today in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, following an in-flight emergency situation while it was operating in Burkinabe airspace,” according to an alliance statement read on state media in the three West African countries.

But the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has clarified that NAF C-130 aircraft, during a ferry mission to Portugal, landed in Burkina Faso on 8 December 2025 due to a technical concern.

NAF spokesman, Air Cdre Ehimen Ejodame, stated this on Tuesday while responding to reports of grounded Nigerian Military aircraft in Burkina Faso by the Confederation of the States of the Sahel (AES).

“Following takeoff from Lagos, the crew observed a technical concern which necessitated a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, the nearest airfield, in accordance with standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols.

“NAF crew is safe and has received cordial treatment from the host authorities.

“Plans are ongoing to resume the mission as scheduled. The Nigerian Air Force appreciates the support received during this period and assures the public that NAF remains professionally committed to strict compliance with operational procedures and safety standards, ensuring the protection of its personnel while fulfilling its constitutional mandate,” he said.

Earlier, the Confederation of the States of the Sahel had reported that an aircraft belonging to the Nigerian Air Force, a C-130, was forced to land on December 8, 2025, in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, following an in-flight emergency while operating in Burkinabe airspace.

A statement signed by the P/president of the transition, Head of State of Mali and President of the Conference of the States of the Sahel (AES), General Assimi Goita, said the military aircraft had on board two (02) crew members and nine (09) passengers, all of them military personnel.

“An investigation was immediately opened by the competent Burkinabe authorities, which confirmed that this military aircraft had no authorisation to fly over Burkinabe territory.

“The Confederation of the States of the Sahel firmly condemns this violation of its airspace and of the sovereignty of its Member States.

“In the face of this unfriendly act carried out in disregard of international law and international civil and/or military aviation rules, measures have been taken to ensure the security of the confederal airspace, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its Member States, as well as the safety of the populations of the AES Confederation”.

He added that following instructions from the Heads of State, the air and anti-air defences of the confederal space have been placed on maximum alert.

“In accordance with the Declaration of the College of Heads of State dated 22 December 2024, they have been authorised to neutralise any aircraft that violates confederal airspace.”