How I narrowly escaped the Benin Coup attempt – Dele Momodu

Dele Momodu has recounted how a last-minute change in travel plans narrowly saved him from being caught up in Sunday’s attempted coup in the Republic of Benin.

In a detailed post on Sunday afternoon, Momodu said he and his travel companion, Rotimi Obey, son of legendary Nigerian musician Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, had planned to drive to Accra, Ghana, passing through Benin early that morning. However, missing car documents forced them to abandon the road trip and opt for air travel instead.

“OUR GOD DID THIS FOR US… My friend Rotimi Obey and I were to head out to Accra by road this morning. All was set, and Rotimi went to bed early so we could set out at 5 a.m. But something went wrong. Before going to bed, I asked my driver for the originals of my car documents. He said he had only copies with him. I searched my offices in Victoria Island and Ikoyi, but still no luck. So I called Rotimi at 10:38 p.m. to decide to fly instead of driving. He agreed,” he wrote.

Momodu added that a Beninese friend, Alex Dalmeida, had already arrived to accompany them across the French-speaking borders, but the road trip was cancelled.

“Alex was already in town waiting to accompany us, so I called him at 11:02 p.m. to abort our road trip,” he explained.

Flight arrangements were secured shortly before midnight. It was only upon arrival at the airport that Dele Momodu and Obey learned of the coup unfolding in Benin.

“I called my travel consultant to check available flights. She got us tickets at 11:15 p.m. It was at the airport that we received the news of the coup in Benin Republic… We barely missed it by the whiskers,” he said.