A former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, has praised President Bola Tinubu’s swift military intervention in the Republic of Benin, describing it as a decisive action that safeguarded democracy and protected Nigeria’s national interest.

Buratai, in a write up issued to newsmen through one of his aids, said the rapid deployment of Nigerian Air Force jets and ground troops, carried out at the formal request of the Beninese authorities, demonstrated strong political will and military professionalism.

He said the operation in Cotonou was a conventional military engagement against clearly identified renegade soldiers occupying fixed positions, including strategic locations such as a television station and an army camp.

According to him, the mission played to the strengths of the Nigerian military, including superior firepower, air dominance and disciplined infantry capable of dislodging hostile forces from defined territory.

Buratai said comparing the success of the Benin operation with Nigeria’s prolonged internal security challenges was misplaced, noting that both situations represented different forms of warfare.

He explained that the fight against banditry and insurgency within Nigeria is an asymmetric conflict involving fluid militant networks, guerrilla tactics and deeply rooted social and economic grievances.

He added that such conflicts do not offer clear front lines for conventional military engagement and require a combination of intelligence gathering, policing, economic development and social policies for lasting success.

Buratai described the intervention in Benin as a masterstroke of preventive security.

He said a successful coup in the neighbouring country could have transformed Nigeria’s western border into a zone of instability, creating safe havens for terrorist and criminal networks.

He noted that such a development could have triggered refugee flows and increased cross-border attacks, further complicating Nigeria’s existing security challenges.

Buratai said the decision by President Tinubu to act swiftly was not an act of misplaced altruism.

He added that the move was guided by enlightened self-interest aimed at safeguarding Nigeria’s stability and regional security.

He said the intervention proved that Nigeria has the political will and military capability to respond decisively to clear and conventional threats.

He added that the same level of clarity and commitment should now be applied to the long-term task of securing Nigeria’s internal frontiers through both military and non-military measures.