Uncertainty Surrounds Arrest of Ex‑Benin President’s Son After Failed Coup

• Chabi Yayi, son of former Beninese President Thomas Boni Yayi, was arrested Sunday amid a week of heightened security following a failed coup in Benin.

Chabi Yayi, son of former Beninese President and opposition leader Thomas Boni Yayi, was taken into custody early Sunday at his residence, several relatives confirmed.

No official statement has been provided regarding the reason for his arrest, which comes one week after an attempted coup in the West African nation was foiled.

“At this time, we don’t know what he is accused of,” a relative told AFP.

A close associate and member of the Democrats Party, the main opposition led by Chabi Yayi, added that it remains unclear whether the arrest is connected to the events of last Sunday.

“We don’t know if it is linked to the events of last Sunday,” the associate said.

Following the coup attempt on December 7, Thomas Boni Yayi publicly condemned the putsch in a video address two days later.

Several arrests have already occurred since the abortive uprising. Among those detained is former Minister of Defence and prominent opposition figure Candide Azannai, placed in police custody on charges of “conspiracy against the authority of the State and incitement to rebellion.”

Authorities have also issued an international arrest warrant for pan-Africanist activist Kemi Seba, accused of “inciting rebellion” through his support for the coup attempt. In a seven-minute video statement released Sunday, Seba, whose real name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, declared defiance:

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“You can never stop us. We will go to the end of our fight.”

Seba, 44, leads the NGO Pan-Africanist Emergency and is known for his anti-Western stance and hostility toward France and allied African governments. He was stripped of his French nationality in 2024 and currently travels on a passport issued by the military regime in Niger.

Several of the suspected coup plotters, including alleged leader Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, remain at large as Beninese security forces continue their hunt for those involved in the failed uprising.