Former Benin Republic President’s son arrested after attempted coup

Chabi Yayi, son of former Beninese president and current opposition figure Thomas Boni Yayi, was arrested early Sunday, December 14, at his home, according to several of his relatives.

No reason was given for the arrest, which comes just a week after a foiled coup attempt in the country. “At this time, we don’t know what he is accused of,” one relative told AFP. Another close friend, who is a member of the Democrats party, the main opposition party led by Boni Yayi, said, “We don’t know if it is linked to the events of last Sunday.”

Former president Thomas Boni Yayi had condemned the abortive coup in a video address two days after the failed attempt.

Several arrests have been made since the December 7 putsch attempt. Among those detained is a former minister of defence and prominent opposition figure, Candide Azannai.

Azannai was placed in police custody on allegations of “conspiracy against the authority of the State and incitement to rebellion”.

Authorities have also issued an international arrest warrant against pan-Africanist and anti-Western influencer Kemi Seba.

On Sunday, Seba released a defiant video response to the warrant. In the seven-minute statement, he said he had taken precautions since the arrest order was issued, although he did not disclose his location.

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

Benin issued the warrant on Friday, December 12, accusing Seba of “inciting rebellion” over his public support for the failed coup attempt, which he described as the country’s “day of liberation”.

Seba, whose real name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, is the head of the NGO Pan-Africanist Emergency and is widely known for his hostility towards France and African governments aligned with Paris.

The 44-year-old influencer has more than 1.5 million followers on social media. Born Franco-Beninese, he was stripped of his French nationality in 2024.

Seba supports the military juntas that came to power through coups in the Sahel region, governments that are hostile to France and maintain close ties with Russia. He now travels on a passport issued by the military regime in Niger, which shares a border with Benin.

Meanwhile, several individuals involved in the failed coup attempt, including its alleged leader, Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, remain at large.