BREAKING: Jonathan Placed Under Heavy Military Guard As Nigeria Moves To Secure His Exit From Coup-Hit Guinea-Bissau

Bissau, Guinea-Bissau– Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is currently under tight military protection in Guinea-Bissau as plans intensify for his safe evacuation from the politically unstable West African nation, Afrika Eyes has learned.

Jonathan, who travelled to Bissau as part of a joint election observer mission of the African Union (AU), ECOWAS, and the West African Elders Forum (WAEF), found himself caught in the middle of a sudden military takeover after both incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias declared themselves winners of Sunday’s presidential election—despite no official results being announced.

The situation quickly escalated. Soldiers took control of key state installations, suspended the electoral process, shut all land, air, and sea borders, and imposed a nationwide curfew.

Gunfire was reported near the electoral commission headquarters, the presidential palace, and the interior ministry, raising fears of a wider breakdown of order.

Afrika Eyes gathered that Jonathan and other international observers were immediately placed under protection amid the chaos.

In Abuja, the Nigerian House of Representatives on Thursday urged the Federal Government to deploy every diplomatic channel to guarantee Jonathan’s safe return.

Lawmakers also called for urgent action to rescue other Nigerians trapped in Guinea-Bissau as the crisis deepens.

This latest upheaval follows a dramatic announcement by Guinea-Bissau’s military officers declaring “total control” of the country and ordering the immediate suspension of all electoral activities.

Their announcement came just hours after both Embaló and Dias insisted they had secured victory in a highly contentious contest.

Meanwhile, the BBC reported that President Embaló had been arrested in the capital, Bissau, further intensifying uncertainty.

He was reportedly taken into custody at the presidential palace alongside top security chiefs, including Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Biaguê Na Ntan, Deputy Chief of Staff General Mamadou Touré, and Interior Minister Botché Candé.

Embaló later told Jeune Afrique that he was not harmed during what he described as a “coup d’état,” alleging that the operation was masterminded by the army chief of staff.

With borders sealed and the political crisis deepening, Jonathan’s evacuation has become a diplomatic priority for Nigeria and regional bodies, as Guinea-Bissau once again confronts its long history of instability.