Chabi Yayi, the son of former Beninese president and current opposition leader Thomas Boni Yayi, was arrested at his residence early on Sunday, according to several family sources.
No official reason was given for the arrest, which comes barely a week after an attempted coup in the country.
Speaking to AFP, a relative said the family was unaware of the allegations against him.
Another close associate, who is a member of the Democrats Party—the main opposition party led by Boni Yayi—said it was unclear whether the arrest was connected to last Sunday’s events.
Thomas Boni Yayi had earlier condemned the failed coup in a video address two days after the incident.
Since the December 7 coup attempt, several arrests have been made in Benin. Those detained include alleged participants in the plot, among them a former defence minister and prominent opposition figure, Candide Azannai.
Azannai was reportedly placed in police custody on allegations of conspiracy against the authority of the state and incitement to rebellion.
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Beninese authorities have also issued an international arrest warrant for pan-Africanist and anti-Western activist Kemi Seba.
In a defiant video released on Sunday, Seba said he had taken precautions following the warrant, though he did not disclose his current location.
“You can never stop us,” he said. “We will go to the end of our fight.”
The warrant, issued on Friday, accuses Seba of inciting rebellion over his support for the attempted coup, which he described as Benin’s “day of liberation.”
Kemi Seba, whose real name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, heads the NGO Pan-Africanist Emergency and is known for his strong opposition to France and African governments aligned with Paris.
The 44-year-old influencer has about 1.5 million social media followers. Born Franco-Beninese, he was stripped of his French nationality in 2024 and now travels on a passport issued by Niger’s military-led government.
Meanwhile, several individuals involved in the failed coup, including its alleged leader, Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, are still at large.
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