By Charles Pemu 
The Nigerian government has confirmed the withdrawal of its fighter aircraft deployed near the Benin Republic border, following a conclusive assessment that the security situation in the neighboring country had stabilized after the swift and failed military coup attempt against President Patrice Talon.
The decision to recall the jets underscores Nigeria’s confidence in the ability of Benin’s loyalist forces to maintain control and signals a return to regional normalcy following the initial alarm.
Security sources close to the operation disclosed that the fighter aircraft, which were initially deployed from Lagos for aerial surveillance and regional monitoring, received orders to return to base during the afternoon. The decision was based on updated intelligence confirming that the situation was firmly under control and presented “no immediate threat to Nigeria’s territorial security.”
The deployment was a proactive measure taken by Nigeria to monitor potential instability on its western border after mutineers launched an assault on the Beninese presidential residence and subsequently seized the national television station in Cotonou on Sunday morning.
The withdrawal followed the successful efforts of Benin’s loyalist forces, including the National Guard, who quickly surrounded the occupied state-run Office de Radiodiffusion et Télévision du Bénin (ORTB) and successfully regained control of key government installations across the capital.
Nigerian presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga publicly confirmed the failure of the plot, stating that the mutineers had been repelled and that Colonel Pascal Tigri, the identified leader of the attempted takeover, was on the run, with several members of his group having been arrested.
The decisive and rapid response by Benin’s armed forces, which Interior Minister Alassane Seidou described as a “mutiny,” ensured that the crisis did not spiral into prolonged conflict, thereby alleviating immediate Nigerian security concerns and justifying the retrieval of the deployed air assets.