Chabi Yayi, son of former Beninese President and opposition leader Thomas Boni Yayi, was arrested early Sunday at his residence, several of his relatives have confirmed.
No official reason has been provided for his arrest, which comes a week after an attempted coup was foiled in the West African nation.
“At this time, we don’t know what he is accused of,” one relative told AFP.
Another close associate, a member of the Democrats party, the main opposition group led by Chabi Yayi, said there was no clarity on whether the arrest was connected to last Sunday’s events.
“We don’t know if it is linked to the events of last Sunday,” the friend said.
Following the coup attempt on December 7, Thomas Boni Yayi publicly condemned the putsch in a video address two days later.
Several arrests have taken place since the abortive uprising. Among those detained is former Minister of Defence and key opposition figure, Candide Azannai, who was placed in police custody on charges of “conspiracy against the authority of the State and incitement to rebellion.”
In addition, Benin has issued an international arrest warrant for pan‑Africanist activist Kemi Seba, accusing him of “inciting rebellion” through his support for the coup attempt.
In a seven‑minute video statement released on Sunday, Seba responded defiantly to the warrant, saying he had taken precautions but did not disclose his current location.
Seba declared, “You can never stop us. We will go to the end of our fight.”
The activist, whose real name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, 44, leads the NGO Pan‑Africanist Emergency and is known for his anti‑Western stance and hostility toward France and allied African governments.
Seba, who has 1.5 million followers on social media, was stripped of his French nationality in 2024 and now travels on a passport issued by the military regime in Niger, which shares a border with Benin.
Several of the suspected coup plotters, including the alleged leader, Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, remain at large as security forces continue to hunt those involved in the failed uprising.