THE Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has declared that a Briton, Andrew Wynne, and a Nigerian, Lucky Obiyan are still wanted for allegedly trying to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.
This was disclosed by the Police spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi on Thursday, September 5 at a joint briefing of the Strategic Communications and Inter-agency Policy Committee organised by the office of the National Security Adviser.
He added that the police had contacted the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to determine if the British national, Andrew Wynne, was a legal immigrant.
“We have contacted them (Immigration). They are going to inform the general public about the status of Andrew Wynne, whether he is an illegal immigrant or not. But whatever the situation is, we still want to reiterate that Mr. Andrew Wynne and Lucky Obiyan are still wanted on our list.
“We have cases against them. Cases that bother on subversion, and of course, taking over the democratically elected government forcefully, “Adejobi stated.
Adejobi warned that the police will not tolerate foreign interference aimed at destabilising Nigeria, emphasising that sponsoring crises or financing terrorism will not be accepted.
He vowed that the authorities would not tolerate foreigners financing, recruiting, educating, and grooming Nigerians for criminal pursuits and other unlawful activities.
“These are capital offences punishable under the law. So I’m standing here again to reiterate that whatever the immigration status of Andrew Wynne, we are looking for him,” he added.
The ICIR reported that the Police on Monday, September 2, declared Wynne, and Obiyan, wanted for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government of President Tinubu.
According to the police, the British national, also known as Andrew Povich, was accused of building a network of sleeper cells to overthrow the government and plunge the nation into chaos.
Adejobi who disclosed this in a statement said Wynne rented a space at Labour House and established a school to serve as a decoy.
He said the Nigeria Police Force had launched a comprehensive investigation into the activities of foreign nationals and subversive elements plotting to undermine the democratically-elected government in Nigeria through unconstitutional regime change and orchestrating violence across the country.
He added that following extensive intelligence gathering and collaboration with other security agencies, nine suspects had been apprehended, who received substantial financial backing from foreign sources to destabilise the country.
Adejobi said documentary evidence and confessions revealed that Wynne provided finance and operational guidance to allegedly topple an elected government in the country.
Owning a firearm in Nigeria is illegal — Police
The police also declared that backdating firearm licenses is illegal, citing the country’s rampant illegal arms proliferation.
According to the police, the issuing of small arms licenses has been suspended since August 2023 and possessing arms is now illegal.
Adejobi warned that importing prohibited arms into Nigeria constitutes a serious criminal offence, punishable by imprisonment.
He emphasised that the authorities have banned the use of arms and ammunition nationwide.
“Don’t allow anybody to lead you into committing criminal offences, particularly when it comes to the issue of arms. We are going to take it more seriously, and we are going to go after those who own arms illegally. It’s an offence, and it remains offensive and punishable under the law. “
“If you want to get your arms, you need to wait until the government will lift the ban. Don’t be deceived. Certain individuals will go and backdate licenses to give you, but it’s still fake.” Adejobi stated.
A reporter with the ICIR
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