A young motorcycle taxi driver suspected of ties to armed groups appeared on Monday, May 26, before the correctional chamber of the Court for the Repression of Economic Offenses and Terrorism (CRIET).
He is being prosecuted for belonging to a terrorist organization—a charge he denies, while admitting to several serious acts.
Arrested in Kalalé, in northeastern Benin, the man is accused by the special prosecutor’s office of supplying fuel and other resources to terrorist cells operating in the region. During his hearing, assisted by an interpreter due to his native Fulani language, he insisted he was not a terrorist, just a transporter.
The defendant did not deny providing services to these armed groups, including delivering fuel and repeatedly transporting weapons and ammunition hidden in 25-liter jerry cans. However, he claimed that he was unaware of his clients’ true identities at first.
“It was only after I saw some of them carrying weapons that I realized. But I kept going because I was being paid,” he reportedly said, according to local outlet Banouto.
The public prosecutor argued that the facts fall under criminal law rather than a lesser misdemeanor offense. The court was thus asked to declare itself incompetent, paving the way for the case to be transferred to a criminal chamber. A ruling on jurisdiction is expected on June 2, 2025.