Simon Njoku Ekpa was recently arrested alongside four others as part of an investigation into potential terrorist activities.
According to Finnish police, Ekpa has been linked to incidents of violence and crimes targeting civilians in southeastern Nigeria.
Ekpa has been accused of several atrocities, thus Legit highlights at least five alleged ‘sins’ of the controversial Biafra separatist leader
Simon Ekpa, the self-proclaimed prime minister of the Biafra Republic Government in-Exile (BRGIE), was recently arrested by law enforcement in Finland. …CONTINUE READING
The Finnish-Nigerian was subsequently sent to prison by the district court of Paijat-Hame for “spreading terrorist propaganda on social media”
Following the development, Nigerian authorities want Ekpa to “face justice” in their country.
1) Simon Ekpa: Inciting violence
Ekpa’s sins are encapsulated in the accusation of inciting violence in the southeast region of Nigeria levelled against his faction of Biafra agitators.
Since 2021, the relatively calm region has taken a violent twist with frequent deadly attacks by gunmen linked to the Biafra agitation. These assailants primarily attack security personnel and government infrastructures. At times, residents are victims of the mindless killings.
For the past three years, Ekpa has been at the forefront of a campaign to forcefully break Nigeria into multiple countries. He often shares misleading tweets and forced a sit-at-home curfew on people in southeastern Nigeria on Mondays and any other specified period, killing many residents of the region in the process.
2) Ekpa: Involvement in financing unknown gunmen
Ekpa has been accused of being involved in financing and coordinating attacks carried out by the so-called unknown gunmen and armed groups that have been responsible for widespread violence in Igboland.
Legit did not see any report or social media post where Ekpa denied this serious allegation
3) Manipulation of Biafra/IPOB supporters
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), led by the detained Nnamdi Kanu, had accused Ekpa of manipulating and coercing Biafra supporters.
They said Ekpa engages in cult-like behaviours and mismanages funds intended for the organisation.
4) Ekpa: Alleged terrorism
The Nigerian government, on the other hand, linked Ekpa to unknown gunmen and accused him of terrorism. Successive Nigerian governments alleged that the 39-year-old has been financing violent activities in the southeast geopolitical zone and promoting secessionist violence.
5) Approach undermines IPOB’s broader political objectives
Already, IPOB has denounced Ekpa as a ‘destructive agent’. In the same vein, the family of Kanu opposes Ekpa’s tactics. In August 2023, Kanu’s family asserted that Ekpa had gone mad.
Several allies of Kanu claim that Ekpa’s actions have put lives at risk by promoting a criminal approach that undermines IPOB’s broader objectives.
Source: Legit
