Benin: eighteen people arrested for relieving themselves in public

The Republican Police arrested eighteen individuals in Cotonou on Thursday, September 11, 2025, for relieving themselves in public. The operation, carried out by the police station of the 5ᵉ arrondissement, is part of a campaign to combat unsanitary conditions and incivility in Benin’s major urban centres.

In a forceful sweep along several thoroughfares in the city of Cotonou, Republican Police officers caught inconsiderate citizens in the act, perpetrators of actions that disturb the public aesthetic order.

Boulevard des Armées, avenue Steinmetz and the paved road by the Charles Guillot public primary school in Zongo, the patrols hunted down offenders in the act. The accused were immediately taken before the Brigade for the Protection of the Coast and the Fight against Pollution (BPLP) for further legal proceedings.

A national campaign against incivility

This operation demonstrates the security authorities’ determination to clean up the urban environment and restore public hygiene. The officials of the police station of the 5ᵉ arrondissement intend to continue the campaign to put an end to this practice, which is seen as a real scourge.

Beyond Cotonou, the Republican Police plan to extend this initiative to other cities in the country in order to reduce uncivil behavior that damages the image of Beninese cities.

Zero tolerance for defecation in the street aims not only to preserve the appearance of main thoroughfares but also to protect public health.

Authorities are also urging the public to adopt responsible behavior and to make use of available sanitation facilities.