Nigeria Police Force has placed ₦20 million bounty on wanted British citizen, Andrew Wynne just as the suspect spoke from United Kingdom in an online interview with Channels Television on Monday evening, denying the allegation that he plotted to overthrow Nigeria President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Wynne spoke on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today from his base in the United Kingdom. He said he was not aware he had been labelled a fugitive.

But Wynee declared that he couldn’t have been scheming to destabilise the leadership of a country that accommodated him for 25 years. Saying, he has been visiting Nigeria since 25 years.

“I am not aware that I am a fugitive. I am not aware that I am running away from the law. I have been visiting Nigeria for 25 years and have had a bookshop in the NLC office right in the centre of Abuja for seven years. All that time, of course, the security forces have paid no interest in me.

“I have always had one nationality. The name on my passport is Andrew Wynne and I operate with a nickname. I think it really started as differentiating in the sense of the broad political education work that I do with the bookshop.

“I am more than happy to talk to the police and have a discussion on WhatsApp or Zoom. I am more than happy to go to London and meet with officials from the Nigerian High Commission. If they want to start a conversation, then I think that is more than adequate.”

Wynne’s wife (names withheld), who also spoke on the programme, distanced her husband from the alleged terror act, saying the allegation was deliberately concocted to witch-hunt him.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force has placed a ₦10 million bounty on the British national, Andrew Wynne (also known as Andrew Povich or Drew Povey) and Nigerian, Lucky Ehis Obinyan, who were declared wanted over a plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu. 
 
The Force spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi on Monday stated that the Force has specifically launched a comprehensive investigation on how foreign mercenaries and subversive elements plotted to overthrow the democratically elected in Nigeria. 

 
A Special Police Gazette Bulletin shared with journalists at Force Headquarters, the force accused the suspects of terrorism financing, treasonable felony, cybercrime, subversion and criminal conspiracy. 
 
“If seen, arrest and hand over to the nearest Police, or to the office of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Department of Force Intelligence, Force Headquarters, Abuja, or call 08035179870, 09133333785, 09133333786,” the bulletin partly reads.

 
“A reward sum of ₦10,000,000 awaits any person(s) with information leading to the arrest of each of them,” Daily Trust reported.

We reported on Monday that the British citizen, Andrew Wynne has reacted to the allegation made against him by the Nigeria Police Force that he plotted during the EndbadGovernance protest to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying, protest is not a treasonable act hence the government should set free all detained protesters whom some of them were arraigned before Federal High Court sitting in Abuja for terrorism and treasonable felony on Monday. 

According to the Letter as reported by SaharaReporters, the Briton who was  accused of inciting insurrection against President Bola Tinubu’s government urged the Nigerian government not to treat protests as treason. 

Andrew’s bookshop, located at the Abuja headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), was previously raided and sealed.

SharaReporters added that: “Part of the bogus charges against him involved enabling some EndBadGovernance protesters “with intent to destabilise Nigeria.”

In a statement on the letterhead of his bookshop, Povey wrote, “Protest Is Not Treason – release all the detainees! The mass protests over EndBadGovernance and EndHunger frightened the government. 

“But rather than addressing the peoples’ demands, the government turned to repression.”

Povey further stated, “Perhaps 40 people were murdered by the police and other security forces, thousands were arrested and many still remain in captivity. In Abuja, the authorities have attacked the so-called leaders and organisers of the protests. 

“Ten people face ridiculous charges including treason, mutiny and levying war against the state.

“The NLC promised a general strike to protect its President, Joe Ajaero, from arrest and detention in relation to similar charges. Despite the flimsy nature of the evidence against the detainees, they face long years in prison unless the trade union movement is prepared to protect them. 

“On 7th August, the NLC said it “condemns in the strongest terms the human rights violations perpetrated by security forces against peaceful protesters”.

“The first person to be arrested in this case was Eleojo Opaluwa. He is a former colleague of Joe Ajaero, working for NUEE, the electricians union, as an organiser in Abuja. He is also the Vice Chair of the NLC in Kogi State. 

“He has now been detained for over four weeks with no tangible evidence. His family was told that he had received a WhatsApp message from one of the other alleged leaders. This was after Eleojo had actually been detained.”

“The ten detainees have been accused of conspiracy to commit a range of serious crimes. However, they barely know each other. Five of them may have been members of a WhatsApp group set up to organise the protests in Abuja. 

“But the other five are unknown to these comrades. They may be a few of the flag-waving protesters from Kano who were added to extend the range of the organizers to cover the main protests from Sokoto to Maiduguri.”

“There appears to be a conflict between the government and the police investigating this case. The head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) told the detainees’ lawyers that he would have released them, but that he had orders from above not to set them free. So the police have developed what appears to be a ridiculous case involving the owner of Iva Valley Books. 

“They are claiming that he goes under the name of Andrew Povich, a Russian-sounding name, and that he has now left Nigeria for Russia.

“Neither of these claims are true. Yomi, who works for Iva Valley Books, has, like the other detainees, been treated in a terribly inhumane manner. He was arrested in front of his wife and three-year-old daughter. 

“All their phones were confiscated by the police. This was despite appeals from his wife that they needed a phone to get money for food.

“He was then imprisoned illegally and held in chains, beaten, and tortured for three days. His only involvement was to design flyers for the protests on the instructions of his boss. 

“The NLC has shown that it has the power to protect its President. It now needs to extend this action to protect its other officers, its members, and the general public”

We had reported that the Nigeria Government through the office of the Inspector General of Police, IGP has alleged that one British national, Andrew Wynne made attempt to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu following the investigation of some senior staff of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC.

Nigeria Police Force on Monday declared the British national identified as Andrew Wynne aka Andrew Povich or Drew Povey, wanted for allegedly plotting to overthrow the President Bola Tinubu-led government.

The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Muyuwa Adejobi in a statement said: “Following extensive intelligence gathering and collaboration with other security agencies, nine suspects have been apprehended, who received substantial financial backing from foreign sources to destabilize the country.

Preliminary findings suggest they orchestrated and funded violent protests, disseminated false information, and engaged in other unlawful activities to create anarchy and justify their illegal plot to overthrow the democratically elected government.

Investigations have identified a foreign mercenary, Andrew Wynne (also known as Andrew Povich or Drew Povey), a British national, who built a network of sleeper cells to topple the government and plunge the nation into chaos.

He rented a space at Labour House, Abuja, for an ‘Iva Valley Bookshop’ and established ‘Stars of Nations Schools’ as a cover for his subversive activities.

Documentary evidence and confessions revealed that Andrew Wynne issued directives, monitored progress, and provided finance and operational guidance to achieve unconstitutional regime change in Nigeria.

He mobilized and deployed several billions of naira to his Nigerian collaborators, urging them to mobilize the public to violently storm police facilities and military barracks, anticipating a bloodbath that would instigate international condemnation of the Nigerian government.

The police also said the investigation of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has revealed the level of involvement of the foreigner as the NLC did not even know the real identity of the person also alleged to be as a foreign mercenary, occupying their building.

Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, while briefing journalists in Abuja on Monday, said Andrew built a network of sleeper cells to topple the government and plunge the nation into chaos.

Similarly, the police declared Lucky Ehis Obiyan, who is alleged to be a local coordinator for Andrew, wanted, adding that global hunting for them has commenced in connection with the investigation.

According to him, “Documentary evidence and confessions revealed that Andrew Wynne issued directives, monitored progress, and provided finance and operational guidance to achieve unconstitutional regime change in Nigeria.

“Since the commencement of investigations, Andrew Wynne has fled the country. He and one of his local coordinators, one Lucky Ehis Obiyan have accordingly been declared wanted and global hunting for them has commenced in connection with this investigation.”