Briton Accused of Inciting Insurrection Urges Nigerian Government to Avoid Treating Protests as Treason

Drew Povey, a Briton accused by the Nigerian government of inciting insurrection against President Bola Tinubu’s administration, has called on the authorities not to equate protests with treason. Povey, who the government claims also goes by the name Andrew Wynne, issued a statement in response to accusations that he was allegedly orchestrating efforts to destabilize Nigeria and topple the Tinubu administration.

The controversy surrounding Povey escalated when his bookshop, located at the Abuja headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), was raided and sealed by security forces. He has been accused of supporting #EndBadGovernance protesters, with the government alleging that his actions were aimed at inciting unrest.

In his statement, which was released on the letterhead of his bookshop, Povey vehemently denied the allegations and called for the release of all detainees. He criticized the government’s handling of the protests, asserting that the authorities resorted to repression instead of addressing the grievances of the people.

“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,” the statement read.

Povey highlighted the violent crackdown on protesters, stating that approximately 40 people were allegedly killed by security forces, thousands were arrested, and many remain in detention. He also pointed out the charges against ten individuals accused of conspiracy to commit treason and other serious crimes, despite their limited association with each other.

He further mentioned the case of Eleojo Opaluwa, a former colleague of NLC President Joe Ajaero, who has been detained for over four weeks without any tangible evidence. Povey expressed concern over the conflicting narratives between the government and the police investigating the case, alleging that the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) was under pressure from higher authorities not to release the detainees.

Povey also claimed that he had been illegally detained, tortured, and falsely accused of being a Russian operative under the alias “Andrew Povich.” He emphasized that his only involvement was designing flyers for the protests at the behest of his boss.

The statement concluded with a call for the NLC to extend its protection beyond its president, urging the union to safeguard its members and the general public from what Povey described as unjust persecution.