Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - Benin authorities have jailed about 30 people, most of them soldiers, over their alleged involvement in a failed coup attempt earlier this month, according to legal sources.
The suspects were brought before a special prosecutor at the
court for economic crimes and terrorism in Cotonou on Monday. They were
subsequently placed in pre trial detention on Tuesday, December 16, and are
facing charges including treason, murder and endangering state security. Heavy
security was deployed around the court during the proceedings.
The attempted coup occurred on December 7, when mutinous
soldiers appeared on national television claiming that President Patrice Talon
had been overthrown. The plot was quickly crushed by loyalist forces, with
support from the Nigerian air force and French special forces. Several people
were reportedly k!lled during the incident. The alleged ringleader, Lieutenant
Colonel Pascal Tigri, along with other mutineers, remains at large.
In a related development, Chabi Yayi, the son of former
Beninese president and opposition leader Thomas Boni Yayi, was released on
Monday after being questioned. Although he has regained freedom of movement, he
remains under prosecution in connection with the coup attempt and is expected
to report again to police later this week, judicial sources said.
Authorities have also widened their crackdown to include
other opposition figures and activists. The Cotonou Court of Appeal on Monday
upheld a two year prison sentence against online activist Steve Amoussou,
accused of operating a social media account critical of the government. Former
defence minister and prominent opposition figure Candide Azannai was arrested
on Friday, though it remains unclear whether his detention is directly linked
to the coup attempt, which he publicly condemned.
Benin has also issued an international arrest warrant for
Pan Africanist influencer Kemi Seba, accusing him of supporting the failed
putsch. In his absence, he is being prosecuted for advocating crimes against
state security and inciting rebellion. Reacting online, Seba said, “we shall
see this fight through to the end”.
President Talon, who is constitutionally barred from seeking
a third term, is due to leave office in April after completing the maximum two
terms. While praised by supporters for driving economic growth, critics accuse
his administration of authoritarian tendencies. Attention is now turning to the
succession, with Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni widely seen as the
frontrunner, after the main opposition party was excluded from the ballot over
sponsorship requirements.
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