Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai (Rtd.), has praised Nigeria’s swift military intervention in the Republic of Benin, describing it as a “masterstroke of preventative security,” and a demonstration of decisive strategic capacity.
He made the remarks in a statement issued to the media.
The operation, authorised by President Bola Tinubu at the formal request of the Beninese government, successfully safeguarded democratic order and averted regional instability through the rapid deployment of the Nigerian Air Force and ground forces.
In his assessment, General Buratai framed the mission as a textbook example of successful conventional military engagement. “The operation in Cotonou was a classic, conventional military engagement against a clear and contained enemy,” Buratai stated. “This type of mission plays directly to the established strengths of a national military: superior firepower, air dominance, and disciplined infantry.”
The former military leader commends the operation as “preventative security,” while explaining the distinct challenges of asymmetric warfare at home.
He argued that comparing this swift success to Nigeria’s protracted internal security battles is a misdiagnosis of two fundamentally different conflicts.
According to Buratai, the fight against domestic banditry and insurgency is a “complex, asymmetric war” against fluid, non-state actors embedded within local communities, requiring long-term strategies blending intelligence, policing, and development.
“Praising the efficiency in Benin does not criticise the pace at home,” he clarified. “It merely acknowledges that they are different battles entirely.”
Crucially, General Buratai emphasised the national security imperative behind the intervention.
He described it as an act of enlightened self-interest, analysing that a successful coup in Benin would have directly threatened Nigeria’s western flank.
The former army chief concluded that the operation proves Nigeria possesses the political will and military capability for decisive action when faced with a clear, conventional threat.
He stressed that the same clarity of purpose must now be rigorously applied to the intricate, long-term project of domestic security, where success hinges on tools “extending beyond the battlefield.”
The decisive action in Benin has been widely commended by regional bodies, including ECOWAS, which reaffirmed its principle of zero tolerance for unconstitutional changes of government.