The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued arrest warrants for British citizen Andrew Wynne and two Nigerians, Lucky Obiyan and Abdullahi Musa, following allegations of plotting an insurrection against Nigeria.
Naija News had earlier reported that the police declared Wynne and his Nigerian collaborator, Lucky Obiyan, wanted for allegedly plotting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration and placed a 20 million naira bounty on them.
The arrest order was made on Tuesday by Justice Emeka Nwite in response to an ex-parte application filed by the police.
Andrew Wynne, also known by the aliases Andrew Povich and Drew Povey, along with the two Nigerians, has become a key target in the Nigerian government’s intensified crackdown on activists associated with the #EndBadGovernance protests.
The administration of President Bola Tinubu has been actively pursuing those linked to these protests.
In a statement released on Monday, police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi accused Wynne of organizing “a network of sleeper cells” with the intent to destabilize the Tinubu administration and create nationwide chaos.
Adejobi revealed that Wynne, who has since fled the country, had rented a space at Labour House in Abuja under the guise of running an “Iva Valley Bookshop” and establishing “STARS of Nations Schools,” which the police allege were covers for subversive activities.
On the same day, the government arraigned 10 Nigerians who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protests in various states, including Abuja, Kano, and Kaduna.
These individuals are charged with collaborating with the 70-year-old Briton to destabilize Nigeria.
The charges also include accusations of calling for the military to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government and conspiring with Wynne to wage war against the Nigerian state.
Justice Nwite ordered the remand of the 10 defendants until September 11, when a ruling on their bail applications will be delivered.
This comes after an earlier ruling on August 22, where the court ordered the detention of 75 protesters, including 28 minors, for two months while awaiting police investigations into alleged terrorism-related offenses.
During Tuesday’s hearing, police lawyer Audu Garba moved the ex-parte application for Wynne’s arrest. Garba argued that the court’s order was necessary to allow all law enforcement agencies in Nigeria to lawfully arrest the defendants, who are currently on the run.
He stated that the charges against them include conspiracy, treason, incitement to mutiny, and acts of terrorism, as outlined under sections 97, 410, 413, 416, and 412 of the Penal Code, Northern States Federal Provisions Act CAP P3 LFN 2004.
The affidavit supporting the ex-parte application reiterated many of the claims made against the 10 protesters and highlighted allegations that the fleeing defendants were responsible for planning and executing attacks on several government facilities in Kano State, including the High Court Complex, the Nigerian Communications Commission office, and a printing press.
Justice Nwite found the application to be meritorious and granted the police’s request, thereby authorizing the nationwide arrest of Wynne, Obiyan, and Musa.