Benin: the film of the arrest of Frédéric Joël Aïvo presented by his communication unit

On the Facebook page of the opponent arrested Thursday by elements of the Republican Police, the communication cell of Professor Joel Aïvo tells the circumstances of the arrest of the politician. Afrik.com brings you the full text of this publication.

For the communication unit of Joël Aïvo, the professor of public law was the subject of a kidnapping pure and simple, hence the title « Kidnapped by the police » given to the publication made on his Facebook page to give details related to his arrest, without summons, on Thursday.

« Kidnapped by the police
This Thursday, April 15, 2021 at around 3pm, Professor Frédéric Joël Aïvo was arrested near the Togoudo bridge (Godomey) by an impressive contingent of hooded police officers armed to the teeth. The constitutional law professor whose candidacy was rejected for lack of sponsorship was arrested as he was returning from the Abomey-Calavi campus where he had maintained his academic activities despite his political commitment. He had also just visited Minister Valentin A. Houdé, president of the FRD (Front for the Restoration of Democracy). He arrived at the premises of the Economic and Financial Brigade (BEF) half an hour later. According to the team that conducted the interrogation from 6 to 9:30 pm, Joël AÏVO was suspected of plotting against the authority of the State and calling for an insurrectionary demonstration, without being able to provide any evidence to support these suspicions. The police are blaming him for the slogan ‘5 years is 5 years’ launched on 26 December 2020 in Godomey after demonstrating that no constitutional revision could have the effect of extending a presidential term in progress. They therefore cling to a statement repeated during and after the itinerant dialogue where the professor affirmed that by virtue of this principle, a new President would be sworn in on 6 April 2021 in Porto-Novo, the day after the end of the mandate begun on 6 April 2016.

It should be noted that contrary to the provisions of the penal code, the professor’s arrest took place without a summons or warrant and that he was only notified of his custody at 9.40pm, about 10 minutes after the end of the hearing, he was asked to indicate the brand of his phones that had been confiscated, as well as the access codes. He was about to do so before his legal team pointed out to him that, in accordance with the law on the protection of personal data, he was not obliged to comply, as the hearing was closed and this request would not be included in the report. Thus, any use made of his personal data could not be restricted or contested.
Professor Frédéric Joël Aïvo is a jurist of great intellectual rigour whose democratic struggle begun several years ago has always been solidly respectful of even the most unjust laws put in place against all logic in recent years.
The communication cell « .