The Republican Guard commander, a former sports minister, and a businessman have been arrested by the Republic of Benin prosecutors on suspicion of plotting a “coup d’etat” in the West African nation, as announced on Wednesday.
According to Elonm Mario Metonou, the special prosecutor at Benin’s court for financial crimes and terrorism, the alleged coup was planned for Friday.
The prosecutor stated, “It seems that the Republican Guard commander responsible for the president’s security was recruited by the minister Oswald Homeky and Olivier Boko to carry out a forceful coup on September 27, 2024.”
The court reported that Homeky was apprehended around 1:00 am on Tuesday while handing over six bags of cash totalling 1.5 billion West African CFA francs ($2.5 million) to the commander, Djimon Dieudonne Tevoedjre.
According to the court’s statement, Boko, a long-time friend of President Patrice Talon, was separately arrested overnight from Monday to Tuesday in Benin’s economic capital of Cotonou.
He had recently begun indicating his intention to run for the presidency in 2026 when Talon’s second term in office concludes.
Benin’s security forces have been on high alert following a series of attacks associated with violence from a jihadist uprising originating in the Sahel region, which has spread across its borders.
Critics argue that Benin, once viewed as a thriving multi-party democracy, has become increasingly authoritarian since Talon assumed power in 2016.