The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has swiftly distanced itself from Simon Ekpa, a controversial Biafra agitator who was arrested in Finland on Thursday ¹. Ekpa, a Finland-based secessionist, was taken into custody by law enforcement in Finland and subsequently sent to prison by the district court of Päijät-Häme for spreading terrorist propaganda on social media.
IPOB, in a statement issued on Friday, vehemently denied any affiliation with Ekpa, declaring that he was never a member of the group and could not be its leader ¹ ². IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful emphasized that Ekpa had no ties to the organization, stating that “we are not interested in his arrest. All we want is for the release of our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who has not committed any offense and who has been freed by the law courts.
Ekpa’s arrest is linked to an incident in 2021 in Lahti municipality, Finland, where he allegedly disseminated material promoting terrorism. The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) also arrested four other men in connection with alleged terrorist offenses.
The Nigerian government has welcomed Ekpa’s arrest, with the Director of Defence Information, Brig Gen Tukur Gusau, indicating that the government will likely apply for Ekpa’s extradition to face criminal charges in Nigeria.
Reactions to Ekpa’s arrest have been mixed, with some Nigerians calling for his extradition to Nigeria to face justice, while others have expressed skepticism about the government’s motives.