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Police will torture, kill me if I turn myself in – Wanted Briton, Andrew Wynne

The British national declared wanted by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Andrew Wynne, has said he won’t be turning himself in because he feared for his life in the hands of the police.

The police had on Monday declared Wynne and one Lucky Obiyan, a Nigerian, wanted and placed N20 million bounty on them for allegedly trying to overthrow President Bola Tinubu by allegedly financing the recent #EndBadGovernance or #Hunger protest in the country.

Wynne had denied the allegations and accused the police of not extending an invitation to him.

Reacting on Tuesday, the Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, insisted that the police had invited Wynne and given him ample opportunity to come forward to prove his innocence.

“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. 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 as a good leader and proven to his followers that he was a good leader. Let him come and meet us”, Adejobi said on Tuesday.

Speaking in an interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday, Wynne said he would not be alive if he surrendered to the police.

Referring to the case of his employee, Yomi, who he said was brutally tortured by the police for days after being arrested at the bookshop, Wynne declared that he would not let the same fate happen to him.

Wynne, a 70-year-old man, stated that if he surrendered to the police, he wouldn’t survive the year.

He said, “The police say, if I am innocent I should give myself up. I am innocent. Like Yomi, for example, Yomi is completely innocent, give myself up and be tortured?

“I mean, it’s beyond fear, isn’t it? Yomi is my son and he’s completely innocent and was tortured for three days.

“And the police expect me to come back to Nigeria and be tortured? My fear is I would not be alive. It’s not about fear of torture and being beaten up by the police, it’s fear for my life. I don’t think I would survive the year if I came back to Nigeria”.

News

Yahaya Bello is not in our custody, still wanted – EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied reports claiming embattled former governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello, is in their custody.

In a statement released on Wednesday, September 18, EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, said the ex-governor remains wanted “for alleged N80.2billion money laundering charges.”

“Media reports today that a former Governor of Kogi State, Mr. Yahaya Bello is in the holding facility of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is incorrect. The Commission wishes to state that Bello is not in its custody.

Bello, already declared wanted by the Commission for alleged N80.2billion money laundering charges, remains wanted with a subsisting warrant for his arrest,” Oyewale said.

Earlier today, Bello’s media team released a statement claiming he had honored the invitation from EFCC.

News

Police commences investigation into officer’s altercation with Elderly woman

The Lagos State Police Command has commenced an investigation into circumstances leading to the altercation captured on video between a police officer and an elderly woman.

Preliminary investigation reveals that the incident took place in the Alagbado area of Lagos State in the first week of September 2024.

In a statement released, the spokesperson of the command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the Police Inspector and his supervising DSP have been brought in for questioning while the Complaint Response Unit has established contact with the woman in the video.

Hundeyin added that the Lagos State Police Command totally condemns the unprofessional conduct of the Inspector as it does not represent the ethics and operational standards of the Nigeria Police Force.

He stated that the command assures Lagosians that the investigation will be swift, thorough and conclusive while ensuring that the officers are disciplined as appropriate and members of the public are updated accordingly.

News

EFCC operatives storm Kogi Governor’s Lodge to arrest Yahaya Bello

In a dramatic turn of events, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) reportedly stormed the Kogi State Government Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, on Wednesday night in a mission to arrest former Governor Yahaya Bello.

According to a statement released by the Director of Media, Ohiare Michael, the operatives arrived in an aggressive manner, allegedly firing shots sporadically around the premises.

The statement noted that Bello had voluntarily visited the EFCC office earlier in the day but was told to leave and return at a later time.

“It was reported earlier that the former Governor went to the EFCC Office voluntarily, but the Commission told him to leave and come at a later date, only to mount a Gestapo-like attack on the Kogi State Government facility in Asokoro.”

The media team expressed grave concern over the manner of the EFCC‘s actions, warning that the agency should be held accountable for any harm that might come to the ex-governor.

“We want to place it on record that the EFCC should be held accountable if anything untoward happens to him,” the statement continued.

Bello’s team condemned the attack as unnecessary, stating that the former governor had already made himself available to the EFCC for questioning earlier in the day.

“Tonight’s attack was needless as the former Governor made himself available to the EFCC in their office for interrogation. The EFCC had no questions to ask Alh. Yahaya Bello in the morning, but suddenly, they are out to arrest him,” the statement said.

The media team accused the EFCC of using its powers for political purposes rather than fulfilling its mandate to combat corruption.

“This action is condemnable. They have displayed the very reason many Nigerians believe they were fighting political battles instead of the mandate to fight corruption. This action reflects much more than the fight against corruption,” the statement said.

As of now, no official statement has been made by the EFCC regarding the incident.