The Beninese army officer who led last week’s failed coup, Pascal Tigri, has fled to neighbouring Togo to seek refuge, according to government officials.
BBC reports that authorities in Benin confirmed Mr Tigri escaped following the botched attempt to overthrow President Patrice Talon. Officials added that the government is aware of his exact location and will formally request his extradition.
“We cannot explain how this happened, but we will submit an official extradition request and wait for the response of the Togolese authorities,” an official told the BBC.
The coup plotters, operating under the name “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR), appeared on state television last Sunday, announcing that they had removed President Talon from office. The group was led by Mr Tigri, who declared himself head of the military committee.
President Talon later announced that loyalist forces had successfully crushed the uprising.
WesternLifeNewsNG understands the operation to foil the coup received support from the Nigerian Army and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Nigeria’s intervention followed an urgent request from President Talon.
Benin’s republican guard chief, Dieudonné Tevoedjre, told AFP that French special forces deployed from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, assisted in “mopping-up operations” after Beninese troops regained control. He praised local forces for their bravery, noting they “faced the enemy all day” on Sunday.
ECOWAS has since condemned the attempted takeover as a threat to constitutional order. Togo, despite being a member of the regional bloc, has not yet commented on Benin’s expected extradition request.
There were unconfirmed reports that Mr Tigri may have moved from Togo to Burkina Faso, but this could not be independently verified as of press time.
The Beninese government had earlier declared Mr Tigri wanted, along with two other soldiers namely Ousmane Samary and Sambieni Castro who were also implicated in the plot.
