Benin's prosecutors announced on Wednesday the arrest of three prominent individuals, including a commander of the presidential guard, on suspicions of plotting a "coup d'état" in the small West African nation.

The other two suspects in the alleged coup attempt are a former sports minister and a businessman closely associated with President Patrice Talon.

Elonm Mario Metonou, the special prosecutor at Benin's court for financial crimes and terrorism, revealed that the coup was scheduled for execution on Friday.

"It appears the Republican Guard commander in charge of the president's security was engaged by the minister Oswald Homeky and Olivier Boko in order to carry out a coup by force on September 27, 2024," the prosecutor said.

According to the court, Homeky was detained around 1:00 am on Tuesday while handing over six bags of cash, totaling 1.5 billion West African CFA francs (approximately $2.5 million), to the commander, Djimon Dieudonne Tevoedjre.

Boko, a longtime friend of Talon, was arrested separately overnight from Monday to Tuesday in Cotonou, Benin's economic capital. He had recently hinted at a potential candidacy for the presidency in 2026, following the conclusion of Talon's second term, after which the constitution prohibits him from seeking reelection.

In 2023, Homeky resigned as sports minister, having advocated for Boko's campaign to succeed Talon.

Boko's legal team and supporters decried what they described as his "abduction" and called for his immediate release.

"As this press conference is being held, it is not possible for his family or us, his lawyers, to know where and in what condition is Mr Boko, who likely does not have access to food and above all his medications," the collective stated.

Boko's support group also denounced the arrest as "a serious violation of fundamental rights" and an "obvious political persecution."

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