Benin Republic coup leader Lt-Col Pascal Tigre reportedly flees to Togo

A security analyst for East and West Africa, Brant Philip, has claimed that the leader of the failed attempted coup in Benin Republic, Lt. Colonel Pascal Tigri, has reportedly fled to Lomé, Togo.

News Region had earlier reported that Benin Republic had declared Lt Col. Pascal Tigri and two other soldiers wanted over a failed coup in the West African country. The military office had failed in his attempt to overthrow the administration of President Patrice Talon on Sunday.

Following his failure, the country’s constitutional authorities declared him wanted on Monday.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed this in a post on 𝕏.

According to reports, the leader of the Benin coup Pascal Tigri did in fact flee to Lomé, the capital of Togo, following the failed coup attempt. The Togolese president Gnassingbé also allegedly visited Niamey, Niger, last night where he met with the Nigerien junta leader Tiani. https://t.co/DuYbjrfp7s pic.twitter.com/VoI7Bg16ox

In a previous post on Monday, Philip had disclosed that a Beninese aircraft was sighted flying over Togo’s airspace.

He wrote, “Very strange, Beninese Air Force ISR aircraft from Parakou circling over Aneho, southwestern Togo, did some of the putschists flee to the neighboring country?”

Before the coup attempt, Lieutenant-Colonel Tigri was an unknown figure in Benin Republic. Information gathered revealed that he led the 3rd Inter-Arms Group of the National Guard from its creation in 2023 until January 2025.

Security sources describe him as an “intermediate-level officer,” with no command over strategic units capable of mounting a large-scale operation.

His emergence as the leader of the coup shocked many Beninese citizens who questioned how such an unknown figure could spearhead an assault on state institutions. The government now openly labels him a “traitor to the nation.”

According to findings, the military officer’s name did not circulate in sensitive files, and there was no indication that he harboured coup ambitions. He has largely stayed discreet as a military man, hidden from the media before his latest coup attempt.

Do you think the Benin Republic government should demand the release of Lt. Colonel Pascal Tigri if it is confirmed that he fled to Togo?