PRETORIA, South Africa — Law enforcement authorities in South Africa announced Thursday the arrest of high-profile Beninese dissident Kemi Seba, who is facing extradition to his home country on charges tied to last year’s unsuccessful coup attempt against Benin’s sitting government.
Seba, 45, whose legal birth name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, was taken into custody during a coordinated police sting operation in Pretoria, South Africa’s administrative capital. He was arrested alongside his son, with both men facing two counts: conspiracy to commit a crime and violations of South African immigration law. The charges stem from allegations the pair plotted an irregular migration journey to Europe via neighboring Zimbabwe, authorities confirmed. A third individual accused of facilitating the plot by paying roughly 250,000 South African rand, equal to $15,000, to enable unauthorized cross-border movement is also in police custody.
South African police confirmed the operation was carried out with direct support from Interpol, which had flagged Seba as an international fugitive wanted by Benin for crimes against the state. All three suspects made their first court appearance at Brooklyn Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, where the judge scheduled the next hearing for April 20. Seba remains in pre-trial detention as South African authorities move forward with formal extradition proceedings.
The legal pursuit of Seba traces back to December 2023, when Benin issued an international arrest warrant for the activist on charges of “incitement to rebellion.” The charge followed a viral social media video in which Seba publicly expressed support for the failed coup attempt against President Patrice Talon. In the clip, Seba incorrectly announced the coup had succeeded, hailed the attempt as “the day of liberation,” and labeled the soldiers who launched the putsch as “patriots.”
Beyond his connection to last year’s coup attempt in Benin, Seba has built a regional profile as a vocal critic of French influence across West Africa, openly supporting a string of successful military coups in neighboring countries that brought pro-Russian military leaders to power. His long-standing anti-French rhetoric and advocacy for Russian-aligned governance in the region led to France revoking his French citizenship earlier this year in 2024.