Treason trial of Wynne, others in order, say ex-British envoy, US mayor

A former British diplomat, Mr David Roberts, and a United States Mayor, Mr Mike Arnold, have backed the Federal Government’s move to prosecute a British national, Mr Andrew Wynne, and 12 other Nigerians for treason.

In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CR/454/2024, before the Federal High Court, Abuja, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, had on Monday filed a six-count charge against the Briton and the 12 Nigerians for treason, accusing them of attempting to destabilise the country, intimidate the President, and destroy the NCC in Kano, among other things.

He said they committed the offences between July 1 and August 4, 2024.

Those charged are Micheal Adaramoye (aka Lenin); Adeyemi Ahayomi (aka Yomi); Suleiman Yakubu; Comrade Opaluwa Eleojo; Angel Innocent; Buhari Lawal; Mosiu Sadiq; Bashir Bello (aka Murtala); Nursdeen Khamis; Abdulsalam Zubairu; Andrew Wynne (aka Andrew Povich); Lucky Obryan; and Comrade Musa Abdollahi.

In separate statements yesterday, the former British diplomat and the Mayor of Blanco said the Briton had no immunity against prosecution and was liable to punishment for infringing on Nigerian laws.

They condemned the flying of the Russian flag by protesters during the cost-of-living protest in August, saying it was an insult to the sovereignty of Nigeria.

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“It is wrong and provocative for any foreigner, UK national or not, to be involved in destabilising a nation like Nigeria, with close links to Nigeria, especially after we had to deal with our protests last month,” Roberts, a former director of British Council in Nigeria, said.

“If a British national is involved, it gives Nigeria’s closest friend, the United Kingdom, a bad name. In such circumstances, the best thing to do is for the persons involved to come out of hiding and clear their names if, indeed, they are innocent.

“The United Kingdom has just come out of a nasty experience with intolerants attempting to destabilise our country in the name of anti-immigration protests.

“So, I am empathetic to Nigeria’s situation, with protests supposedly about hardship becoming a platform to instigate regime change.”

For his part, the Mayor of Blanco, Texas, said that while he would encourage President Bola Tinubu to uphold the tenets of democracy and free speech, he would not support any inflammatory activity under the guise of freedom of expression.

He stated, “As an American, I believe deeply in the freedom of speech and the right to assemble and protest peacefully. That said, I stand entirely with the Nigerian government in preserving democracy.

“Any foreigner involved in politicising the so-called Days of Rage protests has run afoul of the laws of Nigeria and violated their visa status. They should turn themselves in. Russian flags showed that, in some instances, otherwise peaceful and law-abiding protests were twisted into an insurrection against democracy, which cannot be tolerated.”

Treason trial of Wynne, others in order, say ex-British envoy, US mayor