BREAKING NEWS
Nigerian Airstrikes Helped Foil Coup Attempt, Says Benin Govt
Nigerian fighter jets carried out airstrikes to thwart a coup bid in Benin in which mutinying soldiers tried to seize President Patrice Talon, according to an account provided by Benin’s government on Monday.
The soldiers got close enough for Talon to witness violent clashes firsthand, and they also managed to kidnap two senior military officials who were not released until Monday morning, according to the summary of Sunday’s coup attempt published after a cabinet meeting.
Nigeria had earlier acknowledged sending fighter jets and ground troops to its much smaller neighbour to help restore order, aiming to head off a political crisis in a country that is battling jihadists and serves as a key trade corridor in West Africa.
The mutinying soldiers, coming from the Togbin military base, started their attack before dawn on Sunday, first going to the home of General Bertin Bada, Talon’s military chief of staff, the statement said.
Bada’s wife was killed in the clashes that erupted, though Bada himself managed to escape, it said.
The soldiers did manage to seize General Abou Issa, the chief of staff of the army, and Colonel Faizou Gomina, who were freed Monday morning in the northern town of Tchaourou, the statement said.
The Nigerian strikes immobilised armoured vehicles and resulted in no loss of life, it said.
A special force from Ivory Coast arrived late Sunday “to position itself in Cotonou for further action if necessary,” it said.
No death toll was given, though the statement said there were casualties “on both sides” when the mutineers tried to seize Talon at his residence, clashing with members of the Republican Guard.
The government statement said the mutineers then moved from Talon’s residence to the state television station, which they controlled temporarily before being driven out.
They then returned to the Togbin military base, according to the statement, where they were surrounded by soldiers and targeted by air strikes. The whereabouts of Colonel Tigri Pascal, identified as the coup leader, remain unknown.
NIGERIA DECIDES
Davido's Net Worth & Lifestyle 
