There were jitters of a military coup in Benin Republic, which borders Nigeria to the west, but has been denied by the Presidency.
Soldiers in the West African nation announced on national TV on Sunday morning that they have ousted President Patrice Talon and seized power.
“The situation is under control. A large part of the army is still loyalist – and we are taking over the situation,” Foreign Minister Shegun Adjadi Bakari told Reuters news agency.
An unnamed person in the presidency told the AFP news agency: “This is a small group of people who only control the television. The city and the country are completely secure.”
BBC reported that the French embassy in Benin said gunfire had been reported near the residence of the president.
The soldiers also announced a suspension of the constitution and closure of all land borders and the country’s airspace.
According to their statement, Lieutenant-Colonel Tigri Pascal will be leading a military transition council.
President Talon, 67, is due to step down next year after completing his second term in office. He has been in office since 2016.
This is the latest coup development after military officers said they had seized control of Guinea-Bissau, another West African country, after elections.
Soldiers reportedly arrested the democratically elected incumbent president, Mr Umaro Sissoco Embaló and also suspended the electoral process in which he was in line to win again.
They said they were acting to thwart a plot by unnamed politicians who had “the support of a well-known drug baron” to destabilise the country, and announced the closure of its borders and imposed a night-time curfew.
Coups have become common place in Africa since 2020: Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Niger, Gabon, Madagascar, and recently Guinea-Bissau then now, Benin Republic have seen military takeover. This has raised alarms about possibilities in other African states.