By Emeka Okoroanyanwu
Andrew Wynne, the British national accused by the Nigerian Police of inciting an insurrection against President Bola Tinubu, has quickly denied the allegations urging the Nigerian government not to equate protests with treason.
Responding to the police’s allegation that he was involved in building sleeper cells to overthrow the Tinubu administration, Wynne said there was nothing of such and called for the release of all those detained by the Federal Government on allegations of planning to overthrow the government of President Ahmed Tinubu violently.
Federal government had arraigned ten Nigerians who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protest in Abuja last month, accusing them of collaborating with Wynne to destabilize Nigeria and calling for military intervention.
But Wynne in a statement on his bookshop’s letterhead made available to the media, today called for the release of all detainees, stating, “Protest is not treason—release all the detainees! The mass protests over #EndBadGovernance and #EndHunger frightened the government but rather than addressing the people’s demands, the government turned to repression.”
He criticized the government’s response to the protests, alleging that security forces killed nearly 40 people and arrested thousands, many of whom remain in detention.
He also pointed out that the authorities in Abuja have targeted protest leaders, with ten individuals facing serious charges including treason and mutiny.
Wynne highlighted the case of Eleojo Opaluwa, a former colleague of NLC President Joe Ajaero, who has been detained for over four weeks without substantial evidence.
He further argued that the charges against the detainees are baseless, noting that some barely know each other and that the evidence against them is weak.
He also condemned the inhumane treatment of those detained, citing the case of Yomi, an employee of Iva Valley Books, who was allegedly tortured and imprisoned for designing protest flyers.
Wynne called on the NLC to extend its protection beyond its president to include all its members and the general public, emphasizing that the trade union movement must stand against the government’s repression.