Still going in search of individuals allegedly connected to the failed coup attempt, authorities in Benin Republic have now arrested Chabi Yayi, son of former Beninese president and current opposition figure, Thomas Boni Yayi.
According to hints dropped by several relatives and reliable sources, Chabi was arrested early Sunday at his home.
With no official reason given for the arrest which comes a week after the foiled coup attempt there, one of the sources told AFP that, “At this time, we don’t know what he is accused of.
“We don’t know if it is linked to the events of last Sunday,” said another close friend, a member of The Democrats, the main opposition party in the country.
The Democrats (Les Démocrates), is headed by its President, Eric Houndété, while former President Thomas Boni Yayi serves as its founder and de facto leader. Founded in July 2019, The Democrats is currently the only opposition party represented in the National Assembly of Benin.
Against the backdrop of Thomas Boni Yayi’s condemnation of the abortive coup in a video address, two days later, several arrests have taken place since the December 7 putsch attempt.
Those already in custody include alleged participants, the former Minister of Defence and key opposition figure Candide Azannai.
Azannai was placed in Police custody for “conspiracy against the authority of the State and incitement to rebellion”.
Benin has also issued an international arrest warrant against pan-Africanist and anti-Western influencer, Kemi Seba, who on Sunday issued a defiant response on video.
In a seven-minute-long statement, Seba claimed to have taken precautions since the warrant against him was issued but kept mute about which country he is currently taking refuge.
Reports quoted him as saying: “You can never stop us. We will go to the end of our fight.”
On Friday, December 12, 2025, Benin authorities had issued the arrest warrant against him for “inciting rebellion” over his support for the coup bid, which he described as the country’s “day of liberation”.
Seba, whose real name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, 44, heads the NGO Pan-Africanist Emergency and is known for his hostile stance towards France and African governments allied with Paris.
He has 1.5 million followers on social media. Born Franco-Beninese, Seba was stripped of his French nationality in 2024. He supports the military juntas that came to power through coups in the Sahel region, hostile to Paris and close to Russia.
Reports confirmed that Seba now travels on a passport issued by the military regime in Niger, which neighbours Benin.
Meanwhile, it was reliably learnt many of those associated with planning the botched coup are currently at large, including Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, identified as leader of the renegade soldiers.
