Benin Jails About 30 Suspects, Mostly Soldiers, Over Foiled Coup Attempt

Benin Jails About 30 Suspects, Mostly Soldiers, Over Foiled Coup Attempt
Benin Republic Coup Leader

The accused persons are facing serious charges, including treason, murder and endangering state security, following the failed attempt to overthrow the government.

Beninese authorities have remanded about 30 people, most of them soldiers, in custody over their alleged involvement in a foiled coup attempt against President Patrice Talon earlier this month, legal sources have said.

According to AFP, the suspects were arraigned on Monday before a special prosecutor at the Court for the Repression of Economic Crimes and Terrorism (CRIET) in Cotonou, the country’s commercial capital.

They were ordered into pre-trial detention on Tuesday after hours of questioning.

The accused persons are facing serious charges, including treason, murder and endangering state security, following the failed attempt to overthrow the government.

The alleged coup attempt came to public attention on December 7, when a group of soldiers appeared on national television to announce that President Talon had been deposed.

The declaration, however, was short-lived as loyalist forces swiftly crushed the mutiny.

Security sources said the failed putsch was put down with the support of the Nigerian Air Force and French special forces, highlighting growing regional and international concern over instability in West Africa.

Several people were reportedly killed during clashes linked to the attempted coup, while the alleged leader of the plot, Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, alongside other mutinous soldiers, remains at large.

An AFP journalist observed heavy security deployment around the court premises on Tuesday, underscoring the sensitivity of the case.

In a related development, Chabi Yayi, son of former Beninese president and prominent opposition figure Thomas Boni Yayi, was released on Monday after being questioned in connection with the coup bid.

Despite his release, sources said he remains under prosecution, although authorities have not publicly disclosed the specific reasons.

Chabi Yayi is a member of the opposition party led by his father, further fuelling political tensions in the country.

President Talon, who is expected to hand over power in April after completing the constitutionally permitted two terms in office, has been praised by supporters for driving economic growth.

However, critics accuse his administration of authoritarian tendencies in a country once celebrated as a model of democratic stability in West Africa.