Benin has placed former defence minister and prominent opposition figure Candide Azannai in pre-trial detention as investigations continue into the failed coup attempt that rocked the West African nation earlier in December.
Azannai was accused of plotting against the state and inciting rebellion after his arrest last week at his party’s headquarters in Cotonou, despite having publicly condemned the attempted takeover.
His detention follows the jailing of about 30 people, mostly soldiers, who were remanded earlier in the week on treason charges linked to the foiled coup.
On December 7, mutinous soldiers appeared on national television to announce that they had overthrown President Patrice Talon, but loyalist forces swiftly quelled the uprising with assistance from the Nigerian Air Force.
Several people were killed during the unrest, while some suspects, including alleged coup leader Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, remain at large.
After hours of questioning at Benin’s anti-terrorism court, Azannai was escorted by police at dawn and taken into custody, according to an AFP journalist.
