West Africa has undeniably become Africa’s coup belt. We recently saw Nigeria, with its air force take military action in Benin to help avert a coup, this makes it all the more unsettling that the region’s largest state narrowly escaped one of its own. On January 26, Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters confirmed that a coup plot uncovered in September 2025 had been foiled. The plot allegedly involved 16 officers who planned to assassinate the President, Vice President, Senate President, and House Speaker Tajudeen in order to impose military rule. The officers were arrested last October for what were initially described as acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations. At the time, the military dismissed reports of an attempted coup. However, following a thorough investigation, the government has finally acknowledged that some of the officers will face a military judicial panel. This episode is a stark reminder that democracy is inherently fragile and demands constant vigilance and effort to prevent a slide into authoritarianism or institutional breakdown.

West Africa has undeniably become Africa’s coup belt. We recently saw Nigeria, with its air force take military action in Benin to help avert a coup, this makes it all the more unsettling that the region’s largest state narrowly escaped one of its own. On January 26, Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters confirmed that a coup plot uncovered in September 2025 had been foiled. The plot allegedly involved 16 officers who planned to assassinate the President, Vice President, Senate President, and House Speaker Tajudeen in order to impose military rule. The officers were arrested last October for what were initially described as acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations. At the time, the military dismissed reports of an attempted coup. However, following a thorough investigation, the government has finally acknowledged that some of the officers will face a military judicial panel. This episode is a stark reminder that democracy is inherently fragile and demands constant vigilance and effort to prevent a slide into authoritarianism or institutional breakdown.