Saturday, November 23, 2024 -The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the arrest of Mr. Simon Ekpa, a Nigerian-Finnish citizen and a prominent leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), by Finnish authorities on Thursday, November 21.
The ministry disclosed this in a statement released by Kimiebi Ebienfa,
the Acting Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Friday, November
22, in Abuja. According to the statement, Ekpa was arrested on charges of
inciting terrorism and promoting violence.
“The ministry wishes to confirm the arrest of Ekpa, a Nigerian-Finnish
citizen and prominent leader of the proscribed IPOB, by Finnish authorities on
Thursday, Nov. 21,” the statement said. “He was charged with inciting terrorism
and promoting violence. The Finnish District Court of Päijät-Häme ruled to
detain him on probable cause for publicly inciting crimes with terrorist
intent.”
Ekpa, a Finnish politician and Biafran political activist, had in 2022
declared the activation of a Biafra Government in exile and proclaimed himself
its leader in 2023 while in exile. Finnish authorities allege that Ekpa used
social media platforms to spread separatist propaganda, incite violence, and
encourage illegal actions, resulting in significant disruptions in Nigeria’s
South-East region.
“Finnish investigators had also linked him to incidents of violence in
Nigeria, which were believed to have been fueled by his online activities,” the
ministry said.
The arrest follows sustained diplomatic pressure by the Nigerian
government on Finland to address Ekpa’s activities, which have been linked to
violence and instability in the South-East of Nigeria. “The arrest of Ekpa
follows sustained diplomatic pressure by the Nigerian government on Finland to
take action against his activities, linked to violence and instability in the
South-East of Nigeria,” the statement added.
The ministry emphasized that the request for action was a feature of
high-level engagements between the two nations and described the arrest as a
significant step in curbing IPOB’s activities and mitigating the influence of
transnational actors on Nigeria’s national security.
“The ministry will continue to monitor the legal proceedings and provide
further updates as the case progresses,” Ebienfa concluded.
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