General
Senate Approves Tinubu’s Request to Deploy Troops to Benin Republic
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Senate has approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to deploy Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin in support of efforts to restore peace and stability following Sunday’s coup attempt.
The Senate President, Mr Godswill Akpabio, announced this on Tuesday during plenary after lawmakers considered the request in the Committee of the Whole in line with section 5, Part 11 of the Constitution.
The upper chamber of the National Assembly unanimously voted in favour of the deployment, giving legislative backing for the regional security intervention.
Mr Akpabio described the decision as a step in the right direction, noting that instability in any neighboring state poses a threat to the entire region.
“An injury to one is an injury to all,” the lawmaker said, underscoring that it is Nigeria’s responsibility to support its Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) partner.
He said the Senate’s consent letter will be transmitted to President Tinubu immediately.
Earlier, President Tinubu had written to the Senate, seeking their approval for the deployment of troops to the Benin Republic. He said that Nigeria has a historical responsibility to support Benin under the existing Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) security frameworks.
According to the President, the crisis demands “urgent external intervention” to help restore stability and prevent further breakdown of order.
Benin Republic’s attempted coup occurred on Sunday, when some military personnel who called themselves the Military Committee for Refoundation (CMR) took to national television to announce that they had met and concluded that “Mr Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic”.
However, the country’s military thwarted the effort and regained control, with aerial support from Nigeria, as per requested.
“The regular army is regaining control. The city (Cotonou) and the country are completely secure,” sources close to Talon said. “It’s just a matter of time before everything returns to normal. The clean-up is progressing well.”
Following the development, ECOWAS said it will deploy a standby force to the area.
“After consultation among members of the Mediation and Security Council at the level of Heads of State and Government, the Chair of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government has ordered the deployment of elements of the ECOWAS Standby Force to the Republic of Benin with immediate effect,” the regional bloc said.
“The Regional Force shall be made up of troops from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Republic of Sierra Leone, the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, and the Republic of Ghana.
“The Force shall support the Government and the Republican Army of Benin to preserve constitutional order and the territorial integrity of the Republic of Benin”.
Earlier today, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) refuted reports that 11 of its personnel are currently being held by the Burkinabe military regime in Bobo-Dioulasso, southwest Burkina Faso.
It was reported that the Nigerian military officials were captured after their aircraft conducted an emergency landing, alleged to be violating airspace belonging to the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
AES, made up of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, said in a joint statement that the aircraft carrying the 11 military personnel did not have permission to fly over Burkina Faso.
General
Power Supply Has Improved in Two Weeks as Promised—Adelabu
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, says that electricity generation has improved between March 28 and April 10, 2026, following increased gas supply to thermal power plants.
In a statement via his Special Adviser on Strategic Communications and Media Relations, Mr Bolaji Tunji, the Minister said the improvement fulfilled his pledge at the Power Sector Working Group that electricity supply would improve within two weeks.
He said data from the period showed that actual power generation rose from about 3,951 megawatts on March 28 to over 4,300 MW on April 10.
He added that gas supply to thermal power plants increased from approximately 605 million standard cubic feet per day to over 704 million standard cubic feet per day within the same timeframe.
He also stated that mechanical availability remained stable, peaking at over 7,796MW in early April, while operational availability rose from about 4,208MW to a peak of over 4,694MW.
“Despite minor fluctuations recorded on some days, the overall trajectory points to a gradual recovery in the power sector, driven largely by improved gas supply and better coordination among critical stakeholders,” Mr Tunji said.
The spokesperson added that the correlation between gas availability and generation output underscored the need for sustained interventions in the gas-to-power value chain.
He disclosed that the minister recently inaugurated a Gas-to-Power Monitoring Committee to ensure improved coordination, real-time monitoring, and sustained gas supply to generating companies.
“The committee is expected to address bottlenecks in gas delivery, enhance synergy between gas producers and power generation companies, and ultimately guarantee a more stable and reliable electricity supply across the country.
“The Honourable Minister remains committed to ensuring that the modest gains recorded are not only sustained but significantly improved upon in the coming weeks,” Mr Tunji added.
The Minister assured Nigerians that ongoing reforms and targeted interventions in the sector would continue to yield measurable improvements, saying, “We are not there yet, but we will continue to ensure measurable improvements.”
Adelabu urged the new management of the Nigeria Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) to improve its internally generated revenue and reduce dependence on government appropriation.
He also called for the establishment of more meter testing centres across the country and reiterated the need for collaboration between the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NPTIN) and NEMSA to address manpower shortages.
General
NAF Launches Probe into Civilian Casualties During Jilli Market Operation
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is investigating the reported fatal civilian casualties during airstrikes while pursuing Islamist militants around Jilli Market, around the Borno-Yobe border near Fuchimiram village in the Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State.
In a statement on Sunday, the Director of Public Relations and Information for the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said it “treats all reports of possible civilian harm with the utmost seriousness and empathy.”
According to eye witnesses and local government official accounts, at least 200 people are feared dead after Nigerian military jets struck the village market.
“In line with this commitment, the CAS has directed an immediate activation of the Civilian Harm Accident and Investigation Cell (CHAI-Cell) to immediately proceed to the location on a fact-finding mission on the allegation,” the statement read.
NAF maintained that it remained “firmly committed to professionalism, accountability, and transparency in the conduct of its missions.”
In an earlier statement, the Nigerian Air Force confirmed mop-up air strikes in the Jilli axis, but did not state whether any civilian casualties were recorded.
“Coming amid intensified efforts to track and neutralise terrorist elements responsible for recent attacks on security forces within the wider theatre, the follow-on strikes were aimed at fleeing remnants and regrouping cells seeking to exploit the difficult terrain,” NAF said.
However, Brigadier General Dahiru Abdulsalam, a military adviser to the Yobe state government, said, “Some people from Geidam LGA (local government area) bordering Gubio LGA in Borno state who went to the Jilli weekly market were affected.”
Several persons were feared killed and others wounded after the suspected accidental airstrikes at Jilli Market in the Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State.
Jilli, a border community with Damasak in Borno State, is located over 200 kilometres from Damaturu, the Yobe State capital.
Lawan Zanna Nur Geidam, the councillor and traditional head of Fuchimeram ward in Yobe’s Geidam district, told Reuters that those injured were being taken to hospitals in Yobe and Borno.
“It’s a very devastating incident at Jilli Market. As I’m speaking to you, over 200 people have lost their lives from the air strike at the market,” he told Reuters.
General
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