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FG confirms mounting ‘Diplomatic Presure’ on Finland to arrest Simon Ekpa over South-East vi3lence
The President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government has confirmed the arrest of Simon Ekpa, a Nigerian-Finnish citizen and self-confessed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Finland.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a brief statement on Friday said that Simon Ekpa was arrested as a result of Nigeria’s “diplomatic pressure” on the Finnish government.
The statement reads, “The ministry wishes to confirm the arrest of Ekpa, a Nigerian-Finnish citizen and prominent leader of IPOB, by Finnish authorities on Thursday, November 21.
“He was charged with inciting t3rrorism and promoting vi3lence. The Finnish District Court of Päijät-Häme ruled to detain him on probable cause for publicly inciting crimes with terr3rist intent. The Finnish authorities alleged that Ekpa used social media platforms to spread separatist propaganda, incite vi3lence and encourage illegal actions, which had caused significant disruptions in the South-East of Nigeria.
Finnish investigators had also linked him to incidents of vi3lence in Nigeria, which were believed to have been fuelled by his online activities. The arrest of Ekpa follows sustained diplomatic pressure by the Nigerian government on Finland, to take action against his activities, linked to vi3lence and instability in the South-East of Nigeria.”
Recall that the Finland district court in Lahti had ordered the remand of Simon Ekpa on probable cause for public incitement to commit a crime with terrrist intent in Nigeria. Ekpa was accused of using social media platforms to spread separatist propaganda linked to IPOB, a group advocating for the secession of southeastern Nigeria. The court alleged that the offences dated back to August 23, 2021.
Finland authorities have also investigated Ekpa in the past for alleged financial crimes, including the collection of funds through questionable means.
The head of the investigation, Crime Commissioner Otto Hiltunen of the Central Criminal Police, stated, “The police suspect that the man has promoted his efforts from Finland with means that have led to vilence against civilians and authorities as well as other crimes in the region of South-Eastern Nigeria. The man has carried out this activity, among other things, on his social media channels.”
However, the remaining four suspects, accused of financing terrrism, are believed to have committed the crime in August 2022, also in Lahti. The individuals, who are of foreign background, were born in the 1960s and 1970s.
It was reported that the Nigerian Defence Headquarters, Abuja, also stated that Simon Ekpa would be extradited to the country to face charges against him. Speaking on the arrest of Ekpa in a short press statement made available to SaharaReporters, 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 wrote: “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.”
