A group of military officers appeared on Benin national television on Sunday morning, claiming to have removed President Patrice Talon and dissolved all state institutions.
A Nigerian human rights advocate, Francis Nwapa, has blamed the military coup in the Republic of Benin on what he described as Nigeria’s longstanding governance failures and the erosion of its regional influence in Africa.
In a statement issued on Sunday reacting to the development, Nwapa said the failure of the Nigerian ruling elites to provide transformative leadership and respect for human rights for other African countries to learn from is reviving military coups in Africa.
A group of military officers appeared on Benin national television on Sunday morning, claiming to have removed President Patrice Talon and dissolved all state institutions.
The officers, identifying themselves as the Military Committee for Refoundation, were reportedly led by Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri.
According to reports from Beninese media outlet TchadOne, the group attacked President Talon’s residence in the Le Guézo neighbourhood and took control of the national television station, where Tigri declared himself “chairman of the military re-establishment committee.”
In his reaction, Nwapa said, “No doubt that the failure of the Nigeria ruling elites to provide transformative leadership that will bring about national development, respect for human rights for other African countries to learn from and in turn attract regional and Continental respect for Nigeria, a one-time Giant of Africa who spearheaded peacekeeping and restoration of order in some African countries has led to return of military coup in most African countries lately.”
He argued that Nigeria’s inability to maintain political stability, economic strength and democratic values has weakened its stature across West Africa, creating a vacuum that emboldens military interventions in neighbouring states.
According to Nwapa, Nigeria’s political class has not only failed its own citizens but has disappointed the wider continent.
"Nigeria's politicians have not only failed Nigerians but the continent and the world at large,” he said.
The activist recalled his visit to Ghana in August 2025, where he interacted with traders from Togo and the Benin Republic working around border communities.
He said their frustrations with Nigeria’s economic decline, especially the weakening of the naira, highlighted the far-reaching impact of Nigeria’s internal problems on the region.
“During my trip to Ghana in August 2025, I spoke with a couple of Africans from neighbouring Togo and the Benin Republic trading at the borders who felt disenchanted and furious about the decline of the value of Nigerian currency,” he stated.
“A currency that, when they work in Nigeria and taken back to their country, becomes big money has lost its value.”
Nwapa said many West Africans had looked up to Nigeria as a stabilising force and an economic anchor, but the loss of confidence in the country’s direction has deepened disillusionment across the region.
The activist warned that unless Nigeria’s ruling class urgently changes course, the repercussions could escalate internally and across Africa.
“The time for the Nigerian ruling elites to make amends is now, or a revolution is coming that will end their tyrannical and hopeless reign, and they won't be spared from the consequences,” he said.
The coup in the Benin Republic has drawn widespread regional concern, with analysts noting that political instability across West Africa has intensified in recent years, driven by economic hardship, weakened democratic institutions and waning public trust in civilian governance.