Two men close to Benin’s president jailed after alleged coup plot

COTONOU, Bénin (AP) — Two men close to Benin’s president who were arrested last week on suspicions of plotting a coup in the small West African country have been remanded in custody ahead of their trial. Olivier Boko — a businessman and longtime friend of President Patrice Talon — and Oswald Homeky — a former sports minister — were charged with “conspiracy against state security, corruption of public funds and money laundering,” one of their lawyers, Ayodele Ahounou, said Tuesday. Benin has been among the most stable democracies in Africa, but President Patrice Talon has been accused of using the justice system to attack his political opponents after taking office in 2016 and changing electoral rules to enable him to consolidate his power in 2021.