A Senior Research Fellow at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Kester Onor has described Nigeria’s intervention in Benin Republic as a proactive and justifiable action, rather than an encroachment on the West African nation’s sovereignty.
Speaking on the matter during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, Onor emphasised that the Nigerian government was invited by Benin’s leadership to intervene, with the call extending to ECOWAS as well.
He said, “Concerning Nigerian intervention in the Benin Republic, I think Nigeria took a proactive action. When we look at it from the regional security complex theory, if we look at our proximity to the Benin Republic, any problem in Benin will likely affect us.
“The president of Benin made a call to the Nigerian government, not only the Nigerian government, but to ECOWAS to intervene. From the statement issued, Nigeria was asked to intervene. But going beyond even that call to intervene, Benin is part of ECOWAS. So Nigeria can even intervene as a regional security guarantor. We know that in ECOWAS, at least Nigeria is the regional security guarantor in ECOWAS.”
Onor pointed to previous Nigerian interventions in Liberia and Sierra Leone as precedents, noting that these actions were widely regarded as necessary to restore peace and stability in the region.
He noted, “If you look at the resources Nigeria put into ECOWAS, you look at the strategic role Nigeria is playing in ECOWAS, it’s not only in Benin. We did it in Liberia. We did it in Sierra Leone. Let’s look at what happened in Liberia. Let’s look at what happened in Sierra Leone. Are our interventions in those countries not justifiable? When you look at it today, you can probably say that what Nigeria did was quite justifiable. Whatever happened to Beninese, will practically happen to Nigeria because the proximity is too close. So our intervention is quite good.”
Onor also invoked the democratic peace theory, arguing that maintaining democratic governance in Benin reduces the risk of conflict spilling over Nigeria’s borders. He described the move as a form of preventive security, asserting that nipping crises in the bud is far preferable to waiting until they escalate.
He stated, “If Nigeria doesn’t intervene, how will it look like if you have an undemocratic government surrounding Nigerian borders? It will create a serious catastrophe.
“Then, we look at it again from democratic peace theory. It is assumed that democracies are amenable to peace. They don’t have much challenges in a democratic government. So if you allow Benin to become autocratic or to become a military regime, it will create a problem that may spill over to Nigeria.
“It’s better that Nigeria intervene, nip the crisis in the bud, than not intervene at all. So it’s quite good that the Nigerian government intervened.”
Finally, Onor commended the Nigerian military for its precision and professionalism during the operation, stressing that the intervention was conducted with strategic care.
“We should equally give credence to the army, for those precise precision bombing,” he concluded.
Melissa Enoch
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