Benin Republic foils coup attempt, arrests 2 top govt officials

Authorities in Benin Republic said it foiled a suspected coup attempt on Wednesday, with two high-profile individuals among those implicated in the alleged plot.

Elonm Mario Metonou, prosecutor of the Court for the Repression of Economic Offences and Terrorism in Benin (CRIET), said at a press briefing in the capital Porto-Novo that Benin’s security forces had foiled the coup attempt.

He said the plot was uncovered when Oswald Homeky, a former sports minister, was caught handing over six bags of cash to Djimon Tevoedjre, commander of the republican guard and head of President Patrice Talon’s security.

Further investigations revealed that the suspects opened a bank account under the commander’s name in Côte d’Ivoire on August 6, likely to facilitate the alleged coup.

“To overcome the resistance of the commander of the Republican Guard, they promised and handed over to him on September 24, 2024, in cash, more than 1.5 billion CFA francs (approximately $2.545 million),” the official said.

In addition to Homeky, businessman Olivier Boko, a longtime friend of President Talon, was also fingered in the plot.

Though, Mario Elonm Metonou declined to provide further details, saying the investigation is still ongoing to identify all those involved in the coup plot.

The coup attempt occurred less than two years before President Patrice Talon’s second constitutional term expired. In 2026, he will have to hand over power to a new president.

Meanwhile, earlier on Tuesday, the Objectif 2026 movement, which supports Olivier Boko’s possible candidacy for the 2026 presidential elections, in a statement condemned a “serious attack on fundamental rights and the principles of the rule of law” as a “political attack.”

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