Authorities in the Benin Republic have arrested Chabi Yayi, the son of former president and opposition leader Thomas Boni Yayi, amid a widening security clampdown following a failed coup attempt in the country.
Chabi Yayi was taken into custody early Sunday at his residence, according to family members and close associates. As of the time of filing this report, officials had not disclosed the reasons for his arrest.
“We do not yet know what he is accused of,” a relative told AFP. “It is also unclear whether this arrest is connected to the events of last Sunday,” a close friend and member of the opposition Democrats party added.
The arrest comes about a week after authorities said they foiled a coup plot on December 7, prompting a series of detentions linked to alleged attempts to destabilise the state.
Former president Boni Yayi, who leads the Democrats party, publicly condemned the attempted coup in a video message released two days after the incident.
Among those already detained is former defence minister and prominent opposition figure Candide Azannai, who has been placed in police custody on allegations of “conspiracy against the authority of the state and incitement to rebellion.”
Beninese authorities have also issued an international arrest warrant for pan-Africanist activist and influencer Kemi Seba, accusing him of inciting rebellion over his support for the coup bid. In a video message released on Sunday, Seba responded defiantly.
“You can never stop us. We will go to the end of our fight,” he said, while confirming he had taken precautions since the warrant was issued, without revealing his current location.
Seba, whose real name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, is known for his outspoken opposition to France and African governments allied with Paris. He was stripped of his French nationality in 2024 and now travels on a passport issued by Niger’s military government.
Meanwhile, security sources say several suspected coup plotters, including the alleged ringleader, Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, remain at large as investigations continue.
