Presidential Guard and Two Others Arrested in Benin Republic for Alleged Coup Plot

Three prominent men, including a presidential guard commander, have been arrested on suspicion of planning a coup d’état in the West African nation.

The other two suspects 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, stated that the alleged coup was intended to occur on Friday, September 27.

“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 revealed that Homeky was detained around 1:00 AM on Tuesday, September 24, while handing over six bags of cash totaling 1.5 billion West African CFA francs ($2.5 million) to commander Djimon Dieudonne Tevoedjre.

Boko, a longtime friend of President Patrice Talon, was arrested separately overnight from Monday to Tuesday in Cotonou.

He had recently expressed intentions to run for president in 2026 when Talon’s term ends.

In 2023, Homeky resigned as sports minister after supporting Boko’s bid. Boko’s lawyers and supporters condemned 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 condemned the arrest as “a serious violation of fundamental rights” and “obvious political persecution.”