Kemi Seba Tells a South African Judge That if He is sent back to Benin, He Fears for his Life

After being arrested for overstaying his South African visa, fierce anti-Western campaigner Kemi Seba, who is wanted in Benin for allegedly thwarting a coup attempt, warned a Pretoria court that he would be executed if deported. Seba, who was born to Beninese parents in France, was detained last month for breaking immigration regulations along with a South African man and his adolescent son.

In a declaration presented in court by his attorney Bill Kobras, Seba stated that he had refrained from going back to Benin since May 2024 because of “a well-founded fear” for his life under the current government.

On December 12, Benin issued an international arrest order for Seba, alleging that he had aided rebellious soldiers who claimed on television to have deposed President Patrice Talon. Seba stated that rather than being treated as a straightforward immigration infraction, his visa overstay should be considered in relation to his asylum plea.

Kobras informed the court that Seba’s imprisonment has caused a delay in the biometric data registration process, which requires him to report to a refugee center. If Seba was granted bail, he promised to cooperate within a day. If Seba is freed, the ruling junta of Niger, which granted him a diplomatic passport after he lost his French citizenship in 2024, has promised to house him in South Africa.

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