Former Chief of Army Staff Tukur Buratai has warned that Nigeria narrowly avoided a major security threat following the attempted coup in the Republic of Benin, arguing that a successful takeover would have directly endangered Nigeria’s national interest and long-term stability.
Buratai said President Bola Tinubu’s swift military intervention was not only justified but essential to prevent a dangerous spillover into Nigeria. According to him, “a successful coup in Benin would have directly threatened Nigeria’s national interest,” turning the western border into “a zone of chaos” with potentially devastating consequences.
He explained that the instability resulting from a coup would have created fertile ground for extremist and criminal groups. The collapse of order in Benin, he warned, could have “fostered safe havens for the very terrorist and criminal networks we combat domestically,” enabling cross-border movements, arms trafficking, and refugee flows that would deepen Nigeria’s internal security challenges.
Buratai in a statement issued praised the rapid deployment of Nigerian Air Force jets and ground troops at Benin’s formal request, describing the action as a decisive step that “safeguarded a democracy and averted a dangerous spiral of regional instability.” He argued that Tinubu’s intervention demonstrated strategic foresight by stopping the crisis before it grew into a regional wildfire.
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Addressing critics who questioned why Nigeria acted swiftly abroad while domestic insecurity persists, Buratai insisted the comparison is misplaced.
He explained that the Benin operation was “a classic, conventional military engagement against a clear and contained enemy,” whereas Nigeria’s internal fight against insurgency is an “asymmetric war” requiring intelligence, policing, economic measures and long-term strategies.
He explained that in this case, the external threat and internal security are directly linked. “By acting decisively, President Tinubu did not neglect a fire at home to water a neighbour’s garden; he prevented a dangerous wildfire in the adjoining field from spreading to our own compound,” he said.
Buratai said the successful intervention not only preserved Benin’s democratic order but also shielded Nigeria from a major regional destabilization that could have compounded the country’s already complex security landscape.
