West Africa unrest tests Nigeria

The recent abortive coup in Benin Republic and the grounding of a C-30 military plane in Bobo Dilasso, Burkina Faso, has added to the apprehension in Nigeria’s border communities and those of other countries.

More than half the 36 states of Nigeria share borders with different countries in the West and Central Africa subregions.

States like Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Borno; Yobe Taraba; Adamawa, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Kwara, Niger, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Jigawa, among others share borders at different points with Cameroon, Chad, Benin and Niger.

Due to the geographical proximity between them, there’s usually a ripple effect when there’s a major economic or political happening. Apart from that, Nigeria has remained a regional force within the subregion and tries to act as a big brother interested in the overall wellbeing of other states in the region.

The recent attempt by some military officers to oust the government of Patrice Guillaume Talon of Benin Republic and the swift action taken by Nigeria to thwart the coup has once again reignited the issue of mutual dependability.

Benin shares border with Nigeria through five Nigerian states of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Kwara and Niger and even Kebbi State.  Seme, the border town between Lagos and Benin has for years served as a major economic link between the two countries due to the utilisation of its ports by importers.

Weekend Trust recalls that the route is so important that the Beninese government had to appeal to then Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, to reopen the border with the country when the latter closed it due to security concerns.

The interaction of citizens around towns along the Seme border has made it one of the busiest routes in West Africa.

This newspaper learnt how the recent military intervention by Nigeria that restored the government of Benin caused a frenzy within the subregion.

The emergency landing of Nigerian C-30 military plane in Burkina Faso on Monday added to the uneasy calm. Burkina Faso is one of the countries that pulled out of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) recently.

The Burkinabe government has detained both the plane, the crew and the eight passengers leading to a fresh diplomatic issue.

Professor of History at the University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin Republic, Dr. Gnammankou Dieudonne, who spoke exclusively with Weekend Trust, said this is the first time another country in the subregion would be using military to support a neighbouring country. “I don’t think that in our recent history, there was such a thing,” he said.

He, however, said that since it has been said in the media, that the Nigerian military intervention was done in respect of the military agreements between both countries, it is understandable.

“If it was ECOWAS, then there are other debates to be done. Because the ECOWAS position towards military coups in West Africa over the past years is an object of polemics. ECOWAS is used to saying that they have a military force in waiting, but nobody saw that military force helping countries when jihadists, terrorists attacked.

“In northern Benin, we have problem with terrorists. Until now, it is only our national army fighting against those terrorists, instead of maybe, the ECOWAS or even Nigeria, going to do that intervention. I think it is a precedent. But it happened to restore peace in the country.

“We don’t know what would have happened. If there had been fights in the country, in the streets, in the towns, between two parts of the army, that would have had great consequences on the lives of the people. That would have disrupted the democracy and evolution of the country,” he said.

Former Nigerian Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire, Amb Martins Adamu, who spoke on the matter said since intervening in Benin Republic was at the instance of its government, Nigeria did the right thing.

“The only thing is the parliamentary  approval, but there is a provision in the status for that to be sort, and gotten after the fact, being that it’s an emergency. You know they keep on saying that when there are problems in your neighboring country, sometimes you have to be pre-emptive to make sure that it doesn’t spill over to your country.

“And, we are ECOWAS champions of democracy, so all this military intervention and incursions is something that we are not too happy about. Number one, we were invited, secondly, it was a good course, and of course it’s not against the established government. It was also in the interest of the people, because we share ties with them” he said.

On whether the AES states would see Nigeria as interfering in other countries affairs, he said, “We are not intervening in AES states any more.

“That conversation has since gone and the agreement in ECOWAS is that we will try to coexist with them. They have military regimes; it may not be an everlasting thing. At the end of the day, they may decide to come back to democracy. I don’t think what Nigeria is doing is an interference,” he added.

On Nigeria’s relations with its neighbours in terms of trade, politics and the recent strained relations with some, he said, “We made some mistakes in the past but Nigerians should not be underestimated. It’s the economic powerhouse in this part of the globe. All these people saying they are closing their border or subjecting Nigerians to checks are actually being reactionary. They have not thought about it in the long run. The long run is that, if those countries depending on Nigeria’s ports for their access say they are closing their borders, they are the ones that would lose out.

“We have to look at ourselves first, that is why it should be ‘Nigeria first’ as they say,  ‘America first’. We have looked out for our interest first. So what they are doing, at the end of the day, they will be the ones regretting it.

“When they close those borders, they are giving rise to black markets, and of course that is not going to help their revenue and citizens,” he said.

When asked on how Nigeria would cope if the neighboring countries continue to tighten their borders, subjecting the country’s businessmen to rigorous checks, he said, “I want to believe that such pressures are definitely not going to be long term.

“At the end of the day you have ethnic nationalities that transcend borders, so when you even have those connections, you know that some of these artificial borders that were placed by colonial masters may not end up standing the test of time in terms of interaction between persons, people to people interactions,” he said.

Checks by our correspondents reveal that the recent Nigerian intervention in Benin Republic has further affected relationship among the citizens. At the moment, the ease of doing business is facing serious challenges where traders moving goods into Niger Republic are subjected to rigorous interrogation due to series of protocols before they are allowed into the country, especially by the Nigerien authorities.

Ibrahim Muhammad Chaduwa, a citizen of Niger said that the military takeover and Nigeria’s position on the issue has affected the long standing relationship between the people of the two countries.

“France is our colonial master and you know what transpired recently, but Nigeria is romancing France and this has resulted in serious pressure on Niger,” Chaduwa lamented, saying unless something serious is done, the effect of the crisis will linger for generations.

“As a citizen of Niger, if you take goods from Kano to Maradi for instance, you will be forced to pay a huge amount of money by the Nigerian security forces before you arrive Jibia. By the time you arrive your destination, you’ll discover that you’re running at a loss,” he said.

Similarly, Aminou Laminou, a broadcast journalist in Maradi, who is unhappy with the unfolding situation, said,  “When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. Nigerians living in the border towns see the actions taken by the Niger authorities as unnecessary, believing that it would only add more burden on the citizens of the two countries.”

Weekend Trust gathered that across all Niger borders, thorough checks of goods from Nigeria have been intensified in the last three days.

Ahmad Dantata, a resident of Mashi Local Government Area in Katsina State, said he noticed some changes from the authorities of Niger about four days ago where they started subjecting Nigerian goods to thorough investigation before they allow them into their country.

Mashi Local Government shares boarder with Niger Republic with a control post at Birnin Kuka and according to Ahmad Dantata, many traders transacting business along that route have had bitter experiences before crossing into the neighbouring country in recent days, attributing the development to the recent happenings in Benin Republic.

In Jibia, another boarder community in Katsina State, commercial and trucks drivers acknowledged the new development, saying they had to abandon their trips to Niger due to the difficulty they have been subjected to by the Nigerien authorities at the border control post in Niger.

Drivers, who preferred not to be mentioned due to security reasons said the stop and search operation, especially on Niger bound goods has caused a serious gridlock at Dan-Issa, adding that the situation is begging for attention and intervention by the Nigerian authorities.

Many drivers said they were forced to abandon their trucks at the border control post and return to Jibia, hoping to continue their journey to Mali and Burkina Faso when the situation improves.

Border security personnel at Jibia border control post who spoke with our correspondent, described the situation as pathetic and unbearable, appealing for Nigerian authorities’ intervention.

“I have seen so many drivers returning to Jibia from Dan Issa control post in Niger and their experience is bitter. There is nothing we can do at our level to help them.

“As at Friday evening, December 11, 2025, the situation was the same in Dan Issa,” the border personnel confirmed.

At Kongolom/Mai Moujiyya Nigeria /Niger border, while the Nigerian personnel maintain routine checks, their counterparts on the other side drill traders, checking every single item going into their country with keen interest.

An economist, Murtala Abdullahi Kwara of the Umaru Musa Yar’adua University in Katsina State, described the current turn of events in Niger as a serious economic mishap. He said despite regime change in Niger, Mali, Guinea Bissau and Burkina Faso, Nigeria cannot afford to lose its strategic neighbours, asserting that the relationship and economic ties between the countries need to be strengthened.

He, however, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he called his swift response in Benin Republic, which according to him, saved not only democracy, but political and humanitarian crisis that could have erupted if the military had succeeded in overthrowing the legitimately elected government.

The intervention of Nigeria in quelling the attempted coup in Benin Republic has further strengthened Nigeria-Benin relations, Weekend Trust gathered.   The atmosphere at Seme-Kranke border community has remained calm since the attempted coup last Sunday. Trade activities have continued unabated, though the tensions are still visible.

A resident of Seme, the border community between Nigeria and Benin Republic, Alhaji Yusuf Sanni, in a chat with our correspondent, commended Nigeria’s  intervention, which helped in quelling the coup.

He said if Nigeria had not intervened and the coup succeeded, it would have taken a toll on the country, given the volume of trade between the two countries. He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for facilitating the deployment of the troops.

Sanni said, “What Nigeria did to the best of my knowledge is the best. Things would have escalated more than that if the coup succeeded.

“The democratic system still remains the best. We should be worried and if such a thing happens to a country like Benin, which is our neighbour, maybe we should be expecting a similar thing.

“Don’t forget that there were speculations of an attempted coup also in Nigeria. And now this happened to Benin. Nigeria, as a country, we need to protect democratic government.

“Imagine if the coup in Benin Republic had succeeded, it would definitely affect trade and at the moment, the economy is struggling,” he said.

He called for a comprehensive reform of Africa’s politics, saying the system is anti-masses. He said the politics is too monetised and that the reward system has turned politics to a profession, rather than a platform to serve.

Nick Dazang, a commentator on national issues, noted that Nigeria has a rich history in foreign interventions

“Shortly after its independence, Nigeria played a pivotal role in keeping the peace, under the auspices of the United Nations(UN) in the Congo. Thereafter, it sent a contingent, led by the illustrious Colonel Yakubu Pam, to buoy up the government of Julius Nyerere of Tanganyika, as Tanzania was then referenced.

“In the 1970s, flush with petroleum dollars and leaders that knew their onions, Nigeria was in the forefront of supporting liberation movements in the Southern Africa sub-region. Its support to these movements was so robust and unwavering that Nigeria was alluded to as one of the frontline states.

“Enter the 1980s and 1990s. Nigeria, under the aegis of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and its bold intervention force, ECOMOG, played decisive martial roles in ending the conflicts in Liberia and Sierra Leone. In spite of the fact that at this epoch Nigeria was ruled by the military, it took serious exception to the chicanery and bloodletting in Liberia and Sierra Leone. It put a decisive end to these brutal tendencies and restored these countries to peace and democratic governance.

“Additionally, Nigeria led peacekeeping missions to Lebanon, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Sudan, among others. Under the leadership of one of its most celebrated generals, Nigeria led the largest peacekeeping mission in the world in Darfur, Sudan. This stellar effort put a further sheen on Nigeria’s image and earned it global respect.”

He said it behooves Nigeria to play these intervention and mission roles. “Besides, most of its interventions tend to be in the West African sub-region where it is viewed as a hegemon and a behemoth. It is being seen and counted upon by other powers to bring stability to the region on behalf of a grateful world,” he said.

He said the Nigerian government should be lauded for coming to the urgent rescue of Benin and in the decisive fashion it did.

“We may be obligated to assist the Republic of Benin. But President Tinubu’s main focus should be his country, Nigeria, which is in one of its direst security straits. Charity, after all, begins at home, not abroad,” he added.

From Abdullateef Aliyu (Lagos), Abdullahi Izma Yamadi (Katsina) a d Hamisu Kabiru Matazu (Maiduguri).

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