Bénin announced on Wednesday that the Republican guard commander, former Sports Minister and a businessman had been arrested on suspicion of planning a coup d’état in the west African nation.
The details were unveiled during a press conference in the capital Porto-Novo Bénin prosecutors announced on Wednesday evening it had apprehended three personalities after authorities thwarted a coup attempt to overthrow president Patrice Talon.
Those arrested on charges to destabilize the democratic government are Republican guard commander Djimon Dieudonné Trvoedjre , former Sports Minister Oswald Homeky and close ally and businessman, Olivier Boko.
According to the nation’s special prosecutor at the Benin Court of Financial Crimes and Terrorism ( CRIET) , Elonm Mario Metonou, during a press conference in the capital Porto-Novo, the coup was planned to take place on Friday, September 27, 2024.
The prosecutor detailed that they began tracking after the Republican guard commander Djimon opened an account in an ivory Coast Bank on August 6 in his name with the sum of 105 million west African franc CFA approximately 178000 dollars. On September 24, he was given money in cash worth over 1.5 billion franc CFA ( approximately 2.5 million dollars) in a bid to overcome his resistance.
As the investigation unfolds, it should be noted that this coup attempt comes less than two years before president Talon will have to hand over power to a new president come 2026.
However, ahead of the 2026 polls, reports have indicated that Olivier Boko is likely to declare his candidacy in the upcoming elections.
