By MacDonald Dzirutwe and Robbie Corey-Boulet LAGOS, Dec 8 - Nigerian fighter jets and ground troops moved on Monday to help restore order after a foiled coup attempt in Benin, aiming to head off a political crisis in a country that is battling jihadists and serves as a key trade corridor in West Africa.

Late last October, President Donald Trump designated Nigeria as "a country of particular concern" (CPC) under the U.S. International Religious Freedom Act for "severe violations of religious freedom."

Nigeria’s military sent fighter jets and ground forces into neighboring Benin to support President Patrice Talon, after a group of soldiers attempted to seize control of the West African nation.

The Presidency has clarified that the deployment of Nigerian military personnel to the Republic of Benin during the recent failed coup was not unilateral, but carried out at the request of President Patrice Talon.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has sought more help from France to fight widespread violence in the north of the country, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday, weeks after the United States threatened to intervene to protect Nigeria's Christians.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announces policy allowing State Department to deny visas to individuals involved in religious freedom violations globally.

Ecobank Nigeria is trying to fend off concerns that it will default on a $150 million bond coming due in February. It wants to buy back that debt, announcing a tender offer on Nov. 27 in response to S&P Global Ratings downgrading the credit to CC and saying it saw an increased likelihood of a restructuring or regulatory intervention.

One hundred children who had been kidnapped from a Catholic school in northwestern Nigeria last month were released on Sunday. This is part of a larger trend of kidnappings in Nigeria, where victims are released in exchange for ransom.

Nigeria’s banking industry has just delivered one of its most remarkable earnings seasons in years. Despite a turbulent macroeconomic backdrop