Andrew Wynne, a British national accused of sponsoring the #EndBadGovernance protests in Nigeria, has made serious allegations against the Nigeria Police Force.
Speaking from the United Kingdom, Wynne claimed that his bookshop in Abuja was unlawfully raided by the police, who also allegedly stole his granddaughter’s bicycle during the operation on July 7 at the Labour House in Abuja.
He insists that the police acted without justification, accusing them of targeting him because of his foreign nationality and blaming him for the protests against economic hardship in Nigeria.
On Monday, the Nigeria Police declared Wynne wanted and announced a N20 million bounty for information leading to his capture, along with his alleged accomplice, Lucky Obiyan.
Wynne, however, denies the charges of treason against him, arguing that protests by Nigerians do not amount to treason. He maintains that he is not hiding and has no crime to answer for.
“Yes, but as I am completely innocent, they have no evidence against me. The government just wants to blame me, as a foreigner, for the massive protests. They need to address the massive poverty that has got much worse in the last 15 months.
“I am concerned for the detainees who have been arrested and tortured. The NLC needs to take action to get them freed.
“I wrote to them on WhatsApp. They started talking but asked me no questions and then stopped. I have not committed any crime, and the police know that. They took all my books from Iva Valley Bookshop, they ransacked my home and stole my granddaughter’s bicycle, and yet they still found no evidence.”
Force spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi, addressing journalists in Abuja, challenged Wynne to return to Nigeria if he believes he is innocent.
Adejobi revealed that the police had traced a private school owned by Wynne and questioned staff members, yet Wynne has not come forward. He emphasized that the police have found evidence of criminal activity and have charged Wynne’s accomplices in court.
He said, “He (Wynne) has been contacted several times. He has been so faceless. We went to invade that bookshop. As we asked questions, he came out. If you have a genuine business, are you not going to ask the police what we went to do in his shop or his office?
“Up till now, he has not shown up. We have been able to trace his private school. We visited his school; has he shown up? We have interrogated staff and people working with him. Has he shown up? So where is he, and why is he hiding and speaking from hiding, and why does he have no case to answer?
“As I said, it is not a subject of debate or argument. We have done what we should as a responsible security institution.”
Meanwhile, the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, has issued an arrest warrant for Wynne and several Nigerian nationals linked to him. The court granted the warrant following an application by the Inspector-General of Police, citing charges of conspiracy, treason, incitement to mutiny, and inciting disaffection against the government.
