Drew Povey, a British national accused of plotting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu, has criticized the Nigerian government for arresting protesters instead of addressing the grievances of its citizens.
On Monday, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) declared Povey wanted for allegedly organizing a network of sleeper cells to destabilize the government and plunge the country into chaos.
According to Muyiwa Adejobi, the NPF spokesperson, Povey, who also goes by the names Andrew Wynne and Andrew Povish, rented a space at the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) headquarters in Abuja, where he established the Iva Valley Bookshop and the STARS of Nations Schools as fronts for his subversive activities. Documentary evidence and confessions revealed that Povey provided directives, financial support, and operational guidance to achieve an unconstitutional regime change in Nigeria.
On August 7, police officers raided the Labour House in Abuja’s Central Business District during a 10-day nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest against economic hardship. Following the raid, the police summoned NLC President Joe Ajaero for questioning.
In a statement issued on his bookshop’s letterhead, Povey called for the release of all detained #EndBadGovernance protesters, insisting that protesting is not treason. “PROTEST IS NOT TREASON – release all the detainees! The mass protests over #EndBadGovernance and #EndHunger frightened the government,” the statement reads. “But rather than addressing the people’s demands, the government turned to repression. Perhaps 40 people were killed by the police and other security forces, thousands were arrested, and many still remain in captivity.”
Povey further condemned the charges against the detainees, including treason, mutiny, and levying war against the state, calling them baseless. He noted that the NLC had promised a general strike to protect its President, Joe Ajaero, from similar charges.
Povey also highlighted the case of Eleojo Opaluwa, a former colleague of Ajaero and Vice Chair of the NLC in Kogi State, who has been detained for over four weeks without substantial evidence. He criticized the inhumane treatment of the detainees, including Yomi, an employee of Iva Valley Books, who was arrested in front of his family, imprisoned illegally, and tortured.
Povey urged the NLC to extend its protection beyond its president to include other officers, members, and the general public. He dismissed claims by the police that he had left Nigeria for Russia, asserting that neither he nor the detainees had any involvement in the alleged plot.
