British National Declared Wanted Refuses to Surrender, Fearing Torture and Death

British national Andrew Wynne, who was recently declared wanted by the Nigerian Police, has stated that he will not turn himself in, citing fears of torture or possible death if he surrenders to authorities.

Wynne, along with Nigerian citizen Lucky Obiyan, is accused of allegedly attempting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu by financing recent protests against bad governance in the country. The police have placed a ₦20 million bounty on both men.

Wynne has firmly denied the allegations, insisting that the Nigerian police never formally invited him to address the charges. Despite this, the Nigerian Police, through their spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi, maintain that Wynne had been given multiple chances to come forward and clear his name.

“We have established an offence or offences against him (Wynne), and we have even declared him wanted. His accomplices have been charged in court. Let him come out. At least those people worked for him,” Adejobi said on Tuesday. “As a good leader, a businessman, and a smart man who mobilised and organised sleeper cells to cause problems in Nigeria, he should have come out and proven to his followers that he was a good leader. Let him come and meet us.”

However, in an interview with The Punch on Wednesday, Wynne expressed deep concerns for his safety, pointing to the case of his employee, Yomi, who he claims was subjected to severe torture after being arrested.

Wynne fears that if he surrenders, he would face the same fate or worse. “The police say, if I am innocent I should give myself up. I am innocent. But give myself up to be tortured? Yomi, for example, is completely innocent, and he was tortured for three days.

“And the police expect me to come back to Nigeria and be tortured? My fear is for my life. It’s not just about fear of torture or being beaten by the police. I don’t believe I would survive the year if I returned to Nigeria,” said Wynne, a 70-year-old businessman.

The case continues to raise serious questions about human rights and due process in Nigeria.