Andrew Wynne, a British national accused of plotting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration, has denied the allegation.
Wynne who has a bookshop at the Nigeria Labour Congress complex in Abuja was declared wanted on Monday by the Nigeria Police Force alongside, a Nigerian, Lucky Obiyan, with N10m bounty placed on each.
“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,” Police spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi had said earlier on Monday.
Reacting to the accusation in an interview he granted Channels Television via zoom, Wynne said he wouldn’t venture to destabilise a country that hosted him for 25 years.
According to him, “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.”
