On September 2, the Nigerian government brought the ten individuals before the Federal High Court in Abuja to face charges related to their involvement in the protests. The individuals, arrested in various locations including Kaduna State, Jos in Plateau State, Mararaba in Nasarawa State, and different parts of Abuja, were accused of collaborating with a British socialist, Andrew Wynne, to overthrow President Bola Tinubu and incite war against Nigeria.
The #EndBadGovernance protests, held between August 1 and August 10, were driven by widespread dissatisfaction with President Tinubu’s economic policies, which have worsened the living conditions of many Nigerians. These policies, which led to increased hardship for the nation’s poor, sparked the protests. The government responded aggressively, cracking down on protesters with security forces using live ammunition and tear gas against peaceful demonstrators and journalists.
Reports indicate that more than 20 people were killed by security forces during the protests across different states, and over 1,200 people were arrested. Some of the demonstrations turned violent, with protesters waving Russian flags, which the government cited as evidence of foreign sponsorship. Many of the arrested individuals remain in custody without formal charges, but the ten defendants brought to court in Abuja have faced the most severe charges, including treason, conspiring to incite the military to overthrow President Tinubu, and waging war against the Nigerian state.
Central to the case against the defendants is Andrew Wynne, a Briton whom the police have declared a wanted individual. Mr. Wynne, who owned a bookshop within the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) headquarters in Abuja that was raided by police following the protests, has denied all allegations against him. He insists that he had no involvement in a plot to overthrow the Nigerian government, stating that he visited Nigeria regularly on business visas over the past 25 years. Wynne stated that he freely left Nigeria on August 4, denying claims that he funded any plot to destabilize the government.
The involvement of Andrew Wynne with the protests has led to the arrest and detention of Joe Ajaero, the president of the NLC, for questioning by the government. Wynne has refuted the police’s assertion that he used the alias “Povich,” which authorities claim was a fabrication intended to link him to Russia.
The ten defendants have also denied all charges brought against them. Their responses to the accusations have been submitted as part of the “proof of evidence” filed by the police in court, with their handwritten statements providing insight into the organization of the protests and their interactions with Wynne. These statements, obtained by The Metro Newspaper, offer a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the #EndBadGovernance movement, as well as the far-reaching government efforts to track down those involved in the protests. Some of the defendants remain in custody, having not met their bail conditions.
Below are detailed accounts from four of the defendants and their encounters with Andrew Wynne.
1. Angel Innocent – “I told him he should stop directing people to his place of choice”
Angel Innocent, the only female among the ten defendants, was arrested in Abuja. Her arrest took place at around 10 a.m. on August 19, though the exact location of her arrest is not detailed in her statement. Innocent, a 51-year-old realtor and single mother, described herself as “a concerned lover of Nigeria, who wants unity and welfare for its citizens.”
In her statement, she confirmed her participation in the protests for the first two days but denied being one of the organizers. She recounted her experience at the protest held at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja, and her virtual encounter with Andrew Wynne, whom she identified by his alias “Drew.”
Innocent explained that she first heard of Drew when an acquaintance and fellow protester, identified as Lucky, was speaking to Wynne on the phone during the protest. Curious about who the person on the other end of the line was, she asked Lucky, who responded by describing Drew as “a friend.” Lucky handed the phone to Innocent, asking her to try convincing Wynne to reconsider his proposed routes for the protest. However, their conversation was cut short when Lucky’s airtime ran out. Innocent noted down Wynne’s phone number and called him later, introducing herself and suggesting that he stop directing people to locations of his choice, arguing that locals knew Abuja better.
During her police interrogation, she stated, “I don’t know, and I’ve never seen anybody called Povich.” She also described being part of a WhatsApp group called the Advocate for a New Nigeria, a group advocating for unity and the welfare of Nigerian citizens. She said the group had around 600-700 members and was created in October or November of 2023. She was also added to another WhatsApp group, the Abuja End Bad Governance group, two or three days before the protest began.
Innocent clarified that she did not mobilize anyone to join the protests, stating, “Not even a single person for this protest.” She also denied receiving any money to participate and insisted that she was not fronting for any organization in the movement.
In her account of the events at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, she recalled seeing thugs arriving in 10 Coaster buses, followed by an SUV. The thugs, she believed, had been mobilized to disrupt the protest, and she overheard some of them complaining in Hausa about being given just N5,000 to stop the protests. She noted that many of the thugs were armed with knives and scissors.
After the second day, she stopped attending the protests but continued communicating with Lucky, who expressed a desire to mobilize more people.
2. Michael Adaramoye (aka Lenin), 28 – “As a Nigerian, it is my right to protest peacefully”
Michael Adaramoye, a 28-year-old content writer, graphic designer, and human rights activist, was arrested along with three others, including his co-defendant Mosiu Sodiq, by State Security Service (SSS) operatives in Abuja at around 2 a.m. on August 5. He described his political activism as driven by socialism, and his statements detailed his interactions with Andrew Wynne and his participation in the #EndBadGovernance protests.
Adaramoye said he created a WhatsApp group called Abuja Protest Update on July 25, 2024, which included 12 members. He also confirmed his involvement in another group called End Bad Governance Strategy, which had six members and one administrator.
He insisted that he was not an organizer of the protest and was not sponsored or paid to participate. “As a Nigerian, it is my right to protest peacefully,” he wrote in his statement. He also noted that he had no prior relationship with his co-defendants before their arrest.
Adaramoye recounted his meeting with Wynne, whom he described as a foreign national, at a bookshop in the NLC headquarters. He also emphasized his opposition to foreign intervention in Nigeria and denied any connection to the use of Russian flags during the protests.
In his statements, Adaramoye shared details about his personal life, including his unsuccessful attempts to pursue higher education abroad. He had been living in Abuja since February 2024 and had been involved in activism since his university days.
These statements, alongside those from the other defendants, provide a window into the motivations and experiences of those involved in the #EndBadGovernance protests, as well as the government’s efforts to suppress dissent and target those it perceives as threats to national stability.
