Fresh details have emerged on how Côte d’Ivoire not Nigeria stepped in to airlift former President Goodluck Jonathan out of Guinea-Bissau following Wednesday’s sudden military takeover.
The Ivorian authorities moved swiftly and deployed their presidential jet to evacuate the former Nigerian leader, who was in the country as part of an observer mission when soldiers seized power.
The operation was executed quietly but with remarkable coordination, raising fresh questions over the slow initial response from Abuja.
Sources familiar with the evacuation told POLITICS NIGERIA that Jonathan’s return was arranged directly through the Ivorian government.
According to one insider, “It was the Côte d’Ivoire government that reached out to President Jonathan and they have provided an aircraft that’s bringing him back.”
Although Nigerian officials eventually made contact, the arrangements by Abidjan were already in motion long before Abuja’s efforts gained traction.
Some aides around President Bola Tinubu reportedly reached Jonathan’s circle informally, but there was no early high-level diplomatic intervention from Nigeria at the critical moment.
Security around the evacuation was handled by ECOMOG elements—troops from Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal who escorted Jonathan from his hotel to the airport.
Contrary to assumptions circulating online, the coup soldiers were not involved in moving the former President.
A senior source confirmed that the aircraft deployed clearly bore the markings of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire.
Jonathan, who chaired the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) delegation, had been stuck in the capital after the military halted the announcement of presidential election results and declared that they had taken “total control.”
The takeover plunged the country into uncertainty as the self-styled “High Military Command for the Restoration of Order” dissolved the electoral process, shut the borders, and imposed a nighttime lockdown. The officers accused political actors of plotting with “drug barons” to destabilise the nation.
By Thursday, soldiers installed Maj.-Gen. Horta Inta-a as head of a one-year transitional authority.
Dressed in military attire and flanked by top officers, he justified the coup as an emergency intervention to stop “narcotraffickers” from capturing the state.
He later appointed Maj.-Gen. Tomas Djassi as the new army chief.
The dramatic events unfolded just hours before provisional results were expected in the hotly contested race between outgoing President Umaro Embalo and businessman Fernando Dias.
Before the coup announcement, gunfire had erupted near the electoral commission and the presidential palace, forcing residents to shelter indoors.
As the situation worsened, reports emerged that Embalo and other senior officials had been detained. International condemnation followed swiftly, with ECOWAS, the African Union, and the European Union demanding a restoration of constitutional order.
Inside Bissau, businesses shut down while troops patrolled major streets. Small gatherings were dispersed with force, and security agencies used tear gas on supporters calling for the release of former Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira, who was reportedly taken into custody.
Back in Abuja, the House of Representatives earlier urged the federal government to deploy diplomatic channels to secure Jonathan’s safe return.
The motion, raised by House Leader Julius Ihonvbere, stressed the need for urgent action.
He told lawmakers, “The government is aware and they are doing everything possible to get him back as quickly and safely as possible…”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs later announced that Jonathan had departed Guinea-Bissau aboard a special flight, alongside other members of the ECOWAS mission.
Kimiebi Ebienfa, the ministry’s spokesperson, confirmed that the former President was safe.
Nigeria also joined regional bodies in condemning the coup, calling it a dangerous setback for West Africa.
In a statement, the federal government described the events as “a blatant violation of the fundamental principles of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.”
The statement urged the coup leaders to release all detainees, protect international observers, and restore constitutional rule immediately.
It emphasized that Nigeria would work closely with ECOWAS and the African Union to ensure Guinea-Bissau’s quick return to democratic governance.