South African police have arrested anti-Western activist Kemi Seba, wanted in Benin for inciting rebellion following a foiled coup.
Image: Facebook/Kemi Seba
Police have arrested anti-Western activist Kemi Seba, who is wanted in Benin for "inciting rebellion" after he supported a foiled coup in December.
Preparations were being made for Seba's extradition after his arrest with his son on Monday, the police said in a statement.
Seba, whose real name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, heads the NGO Pan-Africanist Emergency and is known for his tirades against France and African governments allied with Paris.
He and his 18-year-old son, Khonsou Seba Capo Chichi, were arrested at a Pretoria shopping centre with another man, François van der Merwe, who had allegedly been paid to help them illegally enter neighbouring Zimbabwe, police said.
From there, they intended to travel to Europe.
"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.
Their case was postponed until April 20 and they were remanded in custody as extradition processes are already going on, it said.
Born Franco-Beninese, Seba was stripped of his French nationality in 2024 and openly supports the military juntas that came to power through coups in the Sahel region - hostile to Paris and close to Russia.
He has 1.5 million followers on social media.
Kemi Seba has been arrested in South Africa
Image: Facebook/Kemi Seba
Benin issued an international warrant for his arrest on December 12 after he supported a foiled coup in which mutinous soldiers claimed on television to have overthrown President Patrice Talon.
Seba posted a video declaring it was "the day of liberation" for his country.
The warrant was for "justifying crimes against state security and inciting rebellion", the authorities said.
AFP