Caught In Chaos: Dele Momodu Reveals How We Escaped Benin’s Coup Attempt

Media mogul and Ovation magazine publisher Dele Momodu has revealed how he and his entourage narrowly avoided being caught up in the recent coup attempt in Benin Republic.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

On Sunday, a group of military personnel in Benin announced that they had ousted President Patrice Talon, who is scheduled to step down next April after a decade in power. Soldiers identifying themselves as the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR) declared on state television that they had met and decided that “Mr. Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic.”

In a post on his account, Momodu explained that a missing document inadvertently prevented them from being caught in the turmoil. He wrote:

“OUR GOD DID THIS FOR US… My friend Rotimi Obey, the second son of legendary musician Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, and I were set to drive to Accra, Ghana, early this morning. All preparations were in place, and Rotimi went to bed early so we could depart at 5 a.m. But something went wrong.
Before going to bed, I asked my driver for the originals of my car documents. He only had copies. I searched my Home Office in Victoria Island and then my Penthouse office in Ikoyi but couldn’t find them. At 10:38 p.m., I called Rotimi to decide we should fly instead of driving, and he agreed.
Meanwhile, my Beninese friend and mentee, Alex Dalmeida, was already in town to accompany us through the French-speaking borders, so I called him at 11:02 p.m. to abort our road trip.
I then called Precious, my travel consultant, who got us flight tickets by 11:15 p.m. It was at the airport that we learned about the coup in Benin Republic… We narrowly escaped by mere whiskers.”

Momodu expressed shock at the attempted coup, noting the country’s reputation for stability:

“Benin is one of West Africa’s most peaceful nations. The President had just amended the constitution last month to extend his term, and this morning the military attempted to overthrow him.”