Presidential Guard Commander, Sports Minister arrested for coup against President Talon

Three prominent figures including the Commander of the Benin Republic Presidential Guard have been arrested for plotting an attempted coup d’etat against President Patrice Talon.

Disclosing this on Wednesday, Benin prosecutors said the two others involved in plotting the coup are a former Sports Minister and a businessman with close ties to Talon.

Elonm Mario Metonou, the special prosecutor at Benin’s court for financial crimes and terrorism, said they planned to execute the coup on Friday.

“It appears the Republican Guard commander in charge of the president’s security was engaged by the minister Oswald Homeky and Olivier Boko to carry out a coup by force on September 27, 2024,” the prosecutor said.

The court said Homeky was detained at around 1:00 am on Tuesday as he was handing over six bags of cash totalling 1.5 billion West African CFA francs ($2.5 million) to the commander, Djimon Dieudonne Tevoedjre.

Boko, known as a longtime friend of Talon, was arrested separately overnight Monday to Tuesday in Cotonou, the court said.

He had recently started indicating that he would make a run for the presidency in 2026 when Talon’s second term in office ends and he is prohibited by the constitution from running again.

In 2023, Homeky resigned as sports minister after urging support for Boko’s bid to succeed Talon.

Boko’s lawyers and supporters denounced what they called 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 Mr Boko is, 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 — a nod to his initials — also condemned the arrest as “a serious violation of fundamental rights” and “obvious political persecution”.

Once seen as a thriving multi-party democracy, Benin has become increasingly authoritarian since Talon came to power in 2016, critics say.

Benin’s security forces have been on high alert after a series of attacks linked to violence from a jihadist uprising with origins in the Sahel region spilt across its borders.

Along with nearby Mali, neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger have all been hit by military coups following years of insecurity linked to jihadist violence.

Presidential Guard Commander, Sports Minister arrested for coup against President Talon