Benin Businessman and Former Sports Minister Arrested for Alleged Coup Plot
Last week, two prominent figures in Benin, Olivier Boko, a businessman with close ties to President Patrice Talon, and Oswald Homeky, a former sports minister, were arrested on suspicion of planning a coup.
The duo has been accused of enlisting the help of Djimon Dieudonne Tevoedjre, a commander in charge of President Talon’s security, to orchestrate a coup in the country.
According to Elonm Mario Metonou, the special prosecutor at Benin’s court for financial crimes and terrorism, Boko and Homeky allegedly engaged Tevoedjre “to carry out a coup by force.”
Their lawyer, Ayodele Ahounou, confirmed on Tuesday that Homeky and Boko have been placed in pre-trial detention and will be transferred to the Cotonou prison, the country’s economic capital, pending their trial.
Homeky was apprehended in the early hours of September 24 while in the process of transferring six bags of cash amounting to 1.5 billion West African CFA francs ($2.5 million) to Tevoedjre.
Meanwhile, Boko, known as Talon’s “right-hand man,” was arrested separately in Cotonou.
It has been reported that Boko had recently hinted at running for the presidency in 2026, following the end of Talon’s second term, as the constitution prohibits Talon from seeking re-election.
On the other hand, Homeky resigned as sports minister in 2023 after openly advocating for Boko’s candidacy to succeed Talon.
Although Tevoedjre was also arrested initially, he has since been released with charges against him being dropped.
Judicial sources reveal that Boko and Homeky face charges of corruption of a public official, money laundering, and conspiracy against the state’s authority. Three other individuals are also implicated in the case, with one in detention and the other two released.
Benin, once regarded as a vibrant multi-party democracy, has been criticized for its increasing authoritarianism since Talon assumed power in 2016.
In a separate incident in August, Steve Amoussou, an online critic of the president, was detained and is set to stand trial later this year on allegations of spreading falsehoods and “inciting rebellion,” as reported by judicial sources.
