By Olusegun Olanrewaju
The Defence Headquarters yesterday disclosed that the self-proclaimed prime minister of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), Simon Ekpa, will be extradited to the country to face charges against him.
The Finnish authorities yesterday arrested the pro-Biafran agitator on charges of alleged terrorist activities.
Speaking on the arrest of Ekpa in a short press statement, the Director of Defence Information, Brig-Gen Tukur Gusau, said the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Chris Musa, was pleased with Ekpa’s trial.
Gusau said, “CDS is happy with his arrest in Finland, with the hope this will be a step towards his extradition to Nigeria so that he will face justice.”
The Finish National Bureau of Investigation said it has requested that Ekpa be remanded on suspicion of public appeal for an offence, committed with terrorist intent.
Ekpa is charged alongside four other persons on suspicion of financing a terrorist offence, according to a statement yesterday by the Finnish police.
In a swift reaction to the arrest, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, said Ekpa’s arrest by the Finnish security agency had averted a possible second Biafra war in the South-East of Nigeria.
A local Finnish news website, Helsingin Sonamat, listed Ekpa’s name in its case report.
The police statement noted that “the requests for remand are related to a criminal investigation in which a dual citizen of Finland and Nigeria born in the 1980s is suspected of public appeal to an offence, committed with terrorist intent.
“The police suspect that the man has furthered his efforts from Finland in such a way that has resulted in violence against civilians and public authorities and other crimes in South-East Nigeria.
“He has carried out this activity by campaigning, for example, on his social media channels, says Head of Investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Otto Hiltunen of the National Bureau of Investigation.”
It added that the other four persons are suspected of financing Ekpa’s terrorist activity and confirmed that the five suspects had been apprehended early this week.
The Finnish police said it carried out international cooperation during the criminal investigation.
It is not the first time Ekpa has been arrested in Finland. In February 2023, days before the presidential and national assembly elections, He was arrested in Finland, where he resides, after threatening that the polls would not be held in the South-East.
A Finnish paper, Helsingin Sanomat, reported that Ekpa was arrested by the police at his residence in the Lahti area of the country.
The separatists repeatedly declared that there would be no elections in the Southeast region of the country.
They insisted on observing a sit-at-home every Monday in the area to protest the detention of the leader of IPoB, Nnamdi Kanu.
IPoB, however, distanced itself from the Finland-based Ekpa, who had been reportedly billed for an interview before his arrest.
He was released and has since been very active on social media, where he posts pro-Biafran messages.
In August, Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Elina Valtonen, had said that the Finnish government was taking action against Ekpa.
During a press conference she addressed alongside her Nordic counterparts, she disclosed this in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
According to her, the case of Ekpa, whose activities were reported to the Finnish government by the Nigerian government, is now before Finnish courts.
Self-proclaimed Biafra Prime Minister Ekpa has been a strong proponent of sit-at-home directives in the South Eastern states despite the mainstream leadership of IPoB suspending the exercise.
*His arrest has averted another war in S’ East- Ohanaeze
However, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has taken this momentous occasion to announce its unequivocal relief and support in light of the arrest of Simon Ekpa, the self-proclaimed leader of the Biafran independence movement.
The group said the development was monumental and expected to resolve the pervasive insecurity challenges that have beleaguered South-Eastern Nigeria for far too long.
In a statement by its Secretary-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Ohanaeze Ndigbo said, “His tumultuous ambition to publicly declare a Sovereign Biafra Nation—a scheme set to take shape on December 2, 2024—was not only misguided but indicative of a reckless disregard for the profound consequences such a declaration would evoke.
“His intentions could have sparked uncontrollable civil unrest and perhaps culminated in another Biafran war, a prospect that the Igbo people have conclusively rejected and remain unprepared to engage in. The echoes of the previous conflict, which left indelible scars on our history, stand as a stark reminder of the devastation war brings.
“Upon this crucial arrest, Ohanaeze Ndigbo categorically denounces the notion that individuals like Simon Ekpa possess the capability or legitimacy to summon the Igbo Nation into a conflict.
“This organisation acknowledges Ekpa’s disturbing record over the last three years, wherein he has systematically wreaked havoc upon the very fabric of our society and economy, implementing his illegitimate Monday Sit-At-Home directive with the aid of armed men who have terrorized our communities.
“The financial toll from these activities is staggering, amounting to a loss of over N22trn in investment opportunities, thereby stifling the economic viability of our region. A pervasive atmosphere of relief has permeated the 95 local government areas of the South East since the announcement of Ekpa’s arrest.
“The collective silence that now blankets our communities speaks volumes about the anticipation that his detention may sever ties to his alleged sponsorship of terrorism that has spiraled into our region. The citizens, long traumatized by the unchecked terror he and his followers unleashed, are hopeful that the Finnish authorities’ decisive action represents a critical juncture in restoring peace and stability.”
Ohanaeze Ndigbo noted that as a Finnish citizen, Ekpa exploited the freedoms offered within that society to orchestrate broadcasts that incited violence and animosity against the nation he resides in.
“It is a matter of profound concern for all of us that mercenaries, veiled as agitators, infringe upon our quest for peace while undermining our autonomy,” it added.
