Within hours of soldiers in Benin announcing they had taken power on December 7, Nigeria scrambled jets and sent ground troops to help nip the uprising in the bud.
It was the first military intervention to stop a coup carried out under the auspices of the 1999 Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS protocol. This protocol provides for an intervention force to protect democracy and good governance in a member state. Troops from other member states from the regional bloc have since joined the Nigerian forces to provide protection for Benin President Patrice Talon's government.
"Nigeria didn't just go there, Nigeria was invited," said Bayo Onanuga, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu's spokesman.
