Briton Andrew Wynne, who has been declared wanted by the Nigeria Police for allegedly conspiring to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration, has denied the accusations against him.
In an appearance on Channels Television’s *Politics Today* on Monday, Wynne, speaking from the United Kingdom, expressed surprise at being labelled a fugitive. He stated, “I am not aware that I am a fugitive. I am not aware that I am running away from the law.”
His rebuttal came just hours after the Nigeria Police announced a N20 million bounty on his head and that of a Nigerian accomplice, Lucky Obiyan. The Force Spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, accused Wynne of establishing a network of sleeper cells aimed at toppling the government and creating chaos in the country.
Wynne, however, dismissed the claims, stating that it would be impossible for him to plan to destabilise a country where he has lived for 25 years. He mentioned, “I have been visiting Nigeria for 25 years and have had a bookshop in the NLC office in the centre of Abuja for seven years. All that time, of course, the security forces have paid no interest in me.”
He further clarified that he has always had a single nationality and uses a nickname for differentiation in his political education work at his bookshop. Wynne also expressed his willingness to cooperate with Nigerian authorities, offering to speak with the police via WhatsApp or Zoom or meet with officials from the Nigerian High Commission in London.
Wynne’s wife, who also appeared on the programme, supported her husband’s claims, asserting that the allegations were a deliberate attempt to target him unjustly. She dismissed the accusations as fabricated, aimed at witch-hunting her husband.
The situation remains tense as both Wynne and his alleged accomplice continue to be sought by Nigerian authorities amidst serious accusations of plotting against the government.
