Benin: a soldier and a police officer appear before the CRIET for desertion

The Court for the Repression of Economic Offenses and Terrorism (CRIET) held, on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, a hearing devoted to two separate desertion cases involving a Beninese soldier and a police officer.

According to reported information, the two members of the defense and security forces are charged with abandoning their posts without authorization. Presented before the special court, they had the opportunity to give their versions of events.

One of the defendants, a soldier by profession, explained his absence for personal reasons which he links to “occult practices” of which he says he is a victim. As for the police officer charged, he reportedly left his unit for reasons that remain unclear, but which did not convince the public prosecutor.

The public prosecutor, represented at the hearing, requested sanctions in accordance with current laws, stressing that desertion constitutes a serious offense likely to weaken discipline within the armed forces.

These two members of the security and defense forces will be informed in the coming days when the Court for the Repression of Economic Offenses and Terrorism will give its decision on the case.