Oke was born in Bantè on 21 May 1955. He attended a Catholic primary school and a Protestant secondary school before entering the National University of Benin. He joined the Benin Armed Forces on 1 July 1977. He continued his military training in Ouidah and Tripoli from 1977 to 1978.
On 1 October 1981, Oke obtained the rank of lieutenant. From 2006 to 2012, he was Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Benin Armed Forces as a brigadier general. During this time, he commanded the logistics maneuvers of the Economic Community of West African States.[2] From 13 to 29 October 2010, he led the African Union's "AMANI AFRICA" military exercise in Addis Ababa.[3] He was then appointed Chief of General Staff of the Benin Armed Forces, succeeding General Mathieu Boni.[4][5][6] He retired from the military on 1 July 2012 as a major general.
Soumanou Oke died in Paris on 17 December 2022, at the age of 67.[1]
