South African police arrested French-born Beninese activist Kemi Seba and his 18-year-old son in a sting operation at a shopping centre in Pretoria on Monday. A facilitator who had allegedly been paid to help Kemi Seba and his son illegally cross to Zimbabwe was also detained. According to a South African police statement, the facilitator was paid about 250,000 South African rand ($15,000; £11,000) to help them move across the Limpopo River into Zimbabwe, with the intention to further proceed to Europe.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that Kemi Seba is allegedly a wanted fugitive in France and Benin for criminal activities relating to crimes against the state. Kemi Seba, whose real name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, is known for opposing French influence in Africa, backing West Africa's military leaders, and has been accused of spreading Russian propaganda. According to BBC News - World, Thomas Gassilloud, then chairman of the National Assembly's defence committee, described Seba as serving a foreign power that fuels anti-French sentiment.
freed from the burden of French nationality.
Seba was stripped of his French citizenship in 2024 and was granted a Niger diplomatic passport in 2024 that designated him a special adviser to junta leader Abdourahamane Tchiani. Kemi Seba and his son remain in police custody after appearing in court on Wednesday, and the case was moved to 20 April, with plans for Seba's extradition under way. Kemi Seba has not commented on the allegations against him.
The specific criminal activities relating to crimes against the state that Seba is accused of in France and Benin have not been detailed, and the legal basis for his extradition from South Africa remains unclear. It is also unknown what charges the facilitator faces or what evidence supports the allegations that Seba was attempting to flee to Europe via Zimbabwe.
for Russian propaganda and serving a foreign power that fuels anti-French sentiment.