By Karen James
In a statement issued by Drew Povey, also known as Andrew Wynne, the Briton accused by the Nigerian government of inciting insurrection against President Bola Tinubu’s administration, has called on the government to resist treating peaceful protests as treason. Povey, who runs a bookshop located at the Abuja headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), reacted to the government’s allegations that he was involved in building a network of sleeper cells to destabilize the government, leading to national chaos. Earlier, his bookshop was raided and sealed by authorities.
According to the charges leveled against him, Povey is accused of enabling some of the #EndBadGovernance protesters with the intent to destabilize Nigeria. In his statement on the letterhead of his bookshop, he asserted that protest should not be equated to treason and demanded the release of all detainees. He expressed concern over the government’s response to the mass protests, involving violence and repression rather than addressing the concerns raised by the people.
Povey highlighted the human rights violations, including the killings of protesters by security forces, thousands of arrests, and the continued detention of many individuals. He drew attention to the government’s attacks on protest organizers and stated that ten people are currently facing charges, which he described as ridiculous, including treason, mutiny, and levying war against the state.
The NLC, in solidarity with its president, Joe Ajaero, who also faces similar charges, promised a general strike to protect him from arrest and detention. Povey emphasized the importance of the trade union movement in safeguarding the rights of the detainees, as they potentially face long prison sentences. The NLC had previously condemned the human rights violations perpetrated by security forces against peaceful protesters.
Povey shed light on the first person to be arrested in the case, Eleojo Opaluwa, who had worked with Joe Ajaero at the electricians’ union and is the Vice Chair of the NLC in Kogi State. Opaluwa has been detained for over four weeks, despite the lack of tangible evidence. Povey also raised concerns about the case, stating that the ten detainees are not familiar with each other, and there may be a conflict between the government and the police investigating the matter.
Furthermore, Povey refuted the claims made by the police, stating that he is not using a Russian-sounding name, Andrew Povich, and he has not left Nigeria for Russia, contrary to their assertions. He shared the inhumane treatment suffered by Yomi, a staff member at the bookshop, who was arrested in front of his wife and three-year-old daughter. Yomi was illegally imprisoned, subjected to chains, beatings, and torture for three days, despite his limited involvement in designing flyers for the protests on his boss’s instructions.
Povey concluded by urging the NLC to extend its protection beyond its president and defend its other officers, members, and the general public. The call to avoid treating peaceful protests as treason remains crucial, emphasizing the importance of upholding human rights and fostering dialogue instead of resorting to repression.
The situation continues to unfold, and the response of the Nigerian government and the trade union movement will be closely watched by international observers and human rights
