ONE of Togo’s main opposition figures was arrested yesterday for “attacking the security of the state”, a government prosecutor said.

The West African country of 8 million is led by President Faure Gnassingbe, who took over in 2005 following the death of his father Gnassingbe Eyadema, who ruled for 38 years.

Brigitte Adjamagbo-Johnson’s arrest in the capital Lome follows an investigation that revealed opposition “documents that contained a plan to destabilise the country”, prosecutor Essolissam Poyodi said in a televised address.

She was arrested at home before being taken to the Central Research and Criminal Investigation Service, her relatives told AFP.

Gerad Djossou, another opposition figure, was also arrested on Friday.

A police search of his home “uncovered a plan to commit violent acts” during a banned protest this Saturday, Poyodi added.

The opposition had called for a rally in Lome to protest against February election results but it was cancelled by the government, citing Covid-19 risks.

The country has recorded 1,722 infections and 44 Covid-19 deaths. – AFP, November 29, 2020.