Benin’s failed coup as a stress test for democratic resilience in West Africa

This videograb taken from handout footage released by Benin TV on December 7, 2025, shows soldiers from the "Military Committee for Refoundation" (CMR), appearing on state television in Cotonou, after a reported attempted coup in the West African nation. Benin's government said it had thwarted an attempted coup, after a group of soldiers announced on state television that they had ousted President Patrice Talon. Military and security sources said that around a dozen soldiers were arrested, including those behind the foiled coup (Photo by HANDOUT / BENIN TV / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / BENINTV / HANDOUT / " - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

The attempted military coup in the Republic of Benin has sent shockwaves far beyond the borders of the small West African State.

For Nigeria, Benin is more than just a neighbouring country; it is a country whose economy is fused with Nigeria’s, particularly Lagos State, through decades of intense commerce, daily human mobility, and deep cultural and ethnic interconnection. The failed coup feels like a crisis unfolding in Nigeria’s own backyard, highlighting the vulnerability of democratic governance in the region and serving as a wake-up call for Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Nigeria has watched a troubling sequence of