South African police said they have arrested prominent pan-African and pro-Russian activist Kemi Seba who is wanted by authorities in Benin for backing an attempted coup there, and have launched extradition proceedings.
Benin issued an arrest warrant for Seba in December last year for "inciting rebellion" after he publicly supported an attempted coup.
Seba, who accuses Benin’s President Patrice Talon of being too close to former colonial master France, posted a video declaring it was "the day of liberation" for his country.
The deadly coup attempt on December 7 was put down within hours by the military with support from Nigeria and France.
The west African country jailed around 30 people after the coup, most of them soldiers, legal sources told AFP, while several mutineers were still on the run.
The 45-year-old Beninese citizen was arrested at a shopping centre in Pretoria along with his 18-year-old son and a South African national, South African police said in a statement late on Wednesday.
Seba, who has mostly been underground and much less on social media since the failed coup, could not be reached for comment.
"Preliminary investigations have revealed that the father is alleged to be a wanted fugitive in France and Benin for criminal activities relating to crimes against the state," the statement said.
Seba, born Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi in France to Beninese parents, is an activist who has had his French nationality revoked.
He is a vocal critic of French political, economic and military influence in West Africa and has adopted a strongly pro-Russian stance, portraying Moscow as a counterweight to Western influence in the West African Sahel region.
South African police alleged that Seba and his son were being assisted by the South African national who they said had been paid approximately 250,000 rand ($15,300) to help them cross the Limpopo River into Zimbabwe, with the intention of proceeding to Europe.
Police also confiscated cellphones and approximately 318,000 rand.
Seba was appointed adviser to Abdourahamane Tchiani, leader of Niger's military government, after the Sahel state expelled French and other Western forces and deepened security ties with Russia.
Seba, his son and the South African citizen were remanded in custody until April 20, the South African police statement said.
Talon – who stepped down on Sunday after two five-year terms – has been accused by critics of taking Benin down an authoritarian path.
A journalist critical of the government was arrested in 2025 at an event in the Ivory Coast, and returned to Benin.
Hugues Comlan Sossoukpe, editor-in-chief of the online newspaper Olofofo, had refugee status in Togo.
Several prominent opposition figures have been sentenced to heavy prison terms by the courts while others are in exile.
Talon’s finance minister, Romuald Wadagni, was elected president with more than 94% of the vote.
