by Nigerian News24 Correspondents
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has commended President Bola Tinubu for ordering the deployment of military assets to halt the attempted coup in Benin Republic, describing the action as crucial to Nigeria’s national security.
In a statement issued on Monday, NGF Chairman and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, warned that Nigeria could have faced significant security fallout if the coup had succeeded. He said extremist groups operating across the Sahel might have exploited the instability to further infiltrate and destabilise Benin.
“Beyond defending democracy in the subregion, the President acted in the best interest of Nigeria and West Africa,” the statement read. “With the Sahel already facing severe security challenges and large parts of Benin — particularly the W-forest — infiltrated by militants, a successful coup would have posed grave risks to our country, given our shared borders.”
The Forum applauded the President and the Nigerian Armed Forces for responding swiftly and helping to restore order and constitutional governance in Benin.
“Despite its imperfections, democracy remains the most reliable pathway to regional peace, stability, and development,” the NGF stated.
It added that Nigeria’s intervention, carried out at the request of Benin Republic, is a major boost to ECOWAS’ collective security efforts. “Instability in areas such as Porto Novo, Cotonou, or Parakou would directly threaten Nigeria. The President’s decisive action has helped avert that danger,” the Forum said.