Former presidential aspirant and publisher, Dele Momodu, says a last-minute disruption to his travel plans may have prevented him from being caught up in the failed coup attempt in Benin Republic.
Momodu made the disclosure during an interview on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, on Monday. He explained that he had planned to leave Lagos for Cotonou by 5 a.m. on the day the political tension unfolded.
The media entrepreneur described the experience as surreal, noting that he had mapped out his usual travel route in advance. He said he often undertakes the Lagos–Cotonou–Lome–Ghana road trip on Sundays when traffic is light.
According to him, plans changed abruptly the night before the trip when he discovered that his driver had only a photocopy of the vehicle particulars. The development led to a late-night search for the original documents.
He said the document could not be found despite checks at his Lagos offices. He added that by about 11 p.m., he decided the journey must be cancelled.
Momodu explained that he immediately called his travel partners, including two close friends, to inform them that the trip had been aborted. He said the disruption was what saved them from being inside Benin Republic when the unrest occurred.
He linked the incident to divine intervention, citing his upbringing in an Aladura church. He said he believes God prevented him from driving into the crisis, adding that his Nigerian-registered vehicle might have made him easily noticeable.
He recalled that he was relieved to hear that the attempted coup was foiled. He also reflected on his long-standing history of opposing military rule.
Momodu drew a connection between Sunday’s events and his escape from Nigeria in 1995. He narrated how he fled through the Seme border to Cotonou, then Lome, and later Ghana, before eventually travelling to the United Kingdom where he lived in exile for three years.
He said the failed coup brought back memories of that difficult period and raised fresh concerns about the state of democracy in Africa. He noted that the region appears to be sliding backwards despite earlier gains.
Benin’s government announced on Sunday that it had thwarted an attempted coup after a group of soldiers appeared on state television claiming to have removed President Patrice Talon.
Several West African countries have experienced coups in recent years, including Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.
