Around 30 individuals, including a significant number of Beninese soldiers, have been detained and remanded in custody over alleged involvement in a foiled coup attempt against President Patrice Talon earlier this month, according to legal sources cited by AFP.
The group appeared on Monday, December 15, 2025, before a special prosecutor at the Court for Economic Crimes and Terrorism in Cotonou, and by Tuesday, December 16, 2025, they had been placed in pre-trial detention pending further investigations.
The detentions stem from an aborted coup on December 7, when a group of soldiers briefly took over state television and announced that President Talon’s government had been overthrown.
The attempted takeover was swiftly suppressed by loyalist forces, with reported assistance from both the Nigerian Air Force and French special forces. Several people were killed during the confrontation, while the alleged coup mastermind, Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, and several of his associates remain at large.
According to the sources, the detainees are facing charges of “treason,” “murder,” and “endangering state security.”
An AFP correspondent reported a heavy security presence around the court in Cotonou throughout the hearings, underscoring the government’s sensitivity to renewed instability.
Political Undercurrents
The failed coup has sparked renewed political tension in Benin, a country once regarded as a model of democratic stability in West Africa.
Chabi Yayi, son of former President Thomas Boni Yayi and a prominent opposition figure, was released on Monday after being questioned in connection with the coup plot, though he remains under prosecution. Authorities have not disclosed the specific grounds for his continued legal scrutiny.
President Patrice Talon, who is expected to step down in April after completing his second and final term, has been praised for revitalizing Benin’s economy but continues to face criticism from opponents who accuse him of consolidating power and restricting dissent.
The coup attempt and subsequent arrests come at a delicate time for the country, which is also contending with growing jihadist threats in its northern border regions, an issue that has stretched security resources and heightened public anxiety.
Observers say the government’s handling of the situation will be closely watched, both domestically and across the West African region, as Benin navigates its transition toward a post-Talon era while trying to safeguard stability and democratic governance.
