Benin prosecutors said Wednesday that three prominent men including a presidential guard commander have been arrested on suspicion of planning a “coup d’etat” in the small West African nation.The other two accused of attempting a putsch are a former sports minister and a businessman close to President Patrice Talon.Elonm Mario Metonou, the special prosecutor at Benin’s court for financial crimes and terrorism, said the alleged coup was planned to take place on Friday.”It appears the Republican Guard commander in charge of the president’s security was engaged by the minister Oswald Homeky and Olivier Boko in order to carry out a coup by force on September 27, 2024,” the prosecutor said.The court said Homeky was detained at around 1:00 am on Tuesday as he was handing over six bags of cash totalling 1.5 billion West African CFA francs ($2.5 million) to the commander, Djimon Dieudonne Tevoedjre.Boko, known as a longtime friend of President Patrice Talon, was arrested separately overnight Monday to Tuesday in Benin’s economic capital of Cotonou, the court said.He had recently started indicating that he would make a run for the presidency in 2026, when Talon’s second term in office ends and he is prohibited by the constitution from running again.- Lawyers allege ‘abduction’ -In 2023, Homeky resigned as sports minister after urging support for Boko’s bid to succeed Talon.Boko’s lawyers and supporters denounced what they called his “abduction” and called for his immediate release.”As this press conference is being held, it is not possible for his family or us, his lawyers, to know where and in what condition is Mr Boko, who likely does not have access to food and above all his medications,” the collective said.Boko’s Objectif Benin 2026 (“Target Benin”) support group — a nod to his initials — also condemned the arrest as “a serious violation of fundamental rights” and “obvious political persecution”.Once seen as a thriving multi-party democracy, Benin has become increasingly authoritarian since Talon came to power in 2016, critics say.In August, an online critic of the president, Steve Amoussou, was detained and ordered to stand trial later this year on allegations of publishing falsehoods and “inciting rebellion”, judicial sources told AFP.Benin’s security forces have been on high alert after a series of attacks linked to violence from a jihadist uprising with origins in the Sahel region that has spilt across its borders.Along with nearby Mali, neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger have all been hit by military coups following years of insecurity linked to jihadist violence.
