Benin Republic’s President Patrice Talon is seeking regional cooperation to catch suspects involved in a foiled coup attempt. The government has issued arrest warrants for those allegedly involved, with Col. Pascal Tigri, the prime suspect, reportedly on the run ¹ ² ³.

Tigri, a lieutenant-colonel, was identified as the leader of the “Military Committee for Refoundation” that briefly seized state TV, announcing Talon’s ouster. The coup was thwarted with help from Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and France, which provided intelligence and logistical support ⁴ ⁵ ⁶.

Tigri is believed to have fled to Togo, prompting Benin to seek extradition. The incident has heightened regional tensions, with ECOWAS deploying troops to secure Benin and vowing to defend democracy.

“They have been able to cross the borders. We have issued warrants against them and requested the concerned countries to cooperate and deliver them to us,” the president said.

He expressed confidence that regional authorities would act on the request.

“I hope they will cooperate and deliver them to us, because they have to answer,” Talon added.

The president provided details of how Tigri allegedly escaped after the plot failed.

According to him, the suspect hurriedly left a camp, travelling by car without taking any personal belongings, and abandoned a boy at the location.

Talon said Tigri later claimed he was no longer present when a strike occurred, a situation that reportedly enabled the suspects to flee across the border.

The Beninese leader noted that cooperation on the extradition request would be crucial to easing diplomatic tensions triggered by the alleged attempt to destabilise the country.

He said the authorities had activated international cooperation mechanisms and formally notified relevant countries, urging swift action to locate and hand over the suspects.

According to reports, Tigri had fled Benin Republic and crossed over to Niger Republic.

As of press time, there was no official response from Nigerien authorities regarding the extradition request.