Three men in Benin, including a former minister and the man in charge of President Patrice Talon's security, have been arrested on suspicion of plotting a coup, the state prosecutor has said.

Ex-sports minister Oswald Homeky was caught on Tuesday while handing over six bags of money to the head of the Republican Guard, Elonm Mario Metonou, the prosecutor told a press conference.

Investigators said Col Djimon Dieudonne Tevoedjre was being bribed not to resist a coup d'etat planned for Friday in the small West African nation.

Also detained was a businessman, Olivier Boko - a friend of President Talon - who had recently indicated he had political ambitions.

Mr Boko's lawyers and supporters condemned what they called his "abduction" and have demanded his immediate release.

Investigations are ongoing to identify further suspects, the prosecutor said.

Benin, once praised as a multi-party democracy, has taken a more autocratic turn under the presidency of Patrice Talon, rights groups say.

President Talon announced he would not seek a third term in office in the 2026 elections.

There have been eight military takeovers and several other coup attempts in West and Central Africa since 2020.