Presidency, IPOB’s silence on Simon Ekpa’s arrest excites CDS

Mum was the word on Thursday as the government of Finland arrest Simon Ekpa and four others over terror-related activities.

But the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, major General Christopher Musa, was excited over the arrest, hoping the suspects would be repatriated to Nigeria to stand trial for terrorist activities in the South East.

Recall that Simon Ekpa had on several occasions, claimed responsibility for the Monday sit-at-home in the region and the killing of persons by those described as unknown gunmen.

However, a local report in Finland said Ekpa was remanded in custody by the district court of Päijät-Häme on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.

In a statement published on its website, the Central Criminal Police in Finland said it arrested five persons on suspicion of terrorist crimes.

The police said the main suspect was arrested “on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent”, while four others were arrested “for financing a terrorist crime”.

The statement read: “The detention demands are related to the preliminary investigation, in which a Finnish citizen of Nigerian background, born in the 1980s, is suspected of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.

“The police suspect that the man has promoted his efforts from Finland by means that have led to violence against civilians and authorities as well as other crimes in the region of South-Eastern Nigeria.”

The statement quoted the head of the investigation, Crime Commissioner Otto Hiltunen from the Central Crime Police as saying that “the man has carried out this activity, among other things, on his social media channels.

“Four other persons are suspected of financing the aforementioned activity. All five suspects of the crime have been arrested during the beginning of the week. International cooperation has been carried out during the preliminary investigation,” the statement added.

This is not the first time Ekpa has encountered Finnish authorities. In 2023, he was briefly detained on allegations of fundraising fraud.

Ekpa, who has represented Finland’s National Coalition Party (NCP) in local roles, currently serves on Lahti’s public transport committee. He is also known for leading a separatist group in Nigeria advocating for the establishment of an independent Biafran state in the country’s southeast.

According to the NBI, Ekpa is suspected of using his leadership position in a Nigerian separatist group to promote actions that have led to violence against civilians and authorities in southeastern Nigeria. These efforts are believed to have been coordinated from Finland, including through Ekpa’s social media channels.

“This activity has been carried out, among other means, via social media channels,” said Detective Chief Inspector Otto Hiltunen in a statement.

The NBI stated that its investigation focused on a Finnish citizen of Nigerian descent, born in the 1980s, suspected of publicly inciting crimes with terrorist intent.

The police also suspect four other individuals of financing terrorism. All five were apprehended earlier this week.

Among the suspects, Ekpa resides in the Lahti region, while two others have addresses in Helsinki. One suspect has no registered address in Finland.

Ekpa has also gained notoriety for his separatist rhetoric, particularly his calls to disrupt Nigerian elections.

In 2023, he declared in a widely circulated social media video, “No elections will be held! Nigerian elections will not be allowed in Biafran territory.”

Finnish police stated that international cooperation had been crucial to the ongoing investigation, with hearings for the suspects scheduled for Thursday (yesterday).

Ekpa has also publicly justified the use of violence.

“I support violence against Nigerian government forces. This is self-defence. They constantly attack us and have committed numerous war crimes. We have no choice but to defend ourselves,” he stated.

Responding to his arest, his party ​NCP Secretary, Timo Elo, declined to comment on Ekpa’s possible membership of the party.

“We never say who is and who isn’t our member. That is confidential information,” Elo told Yle.

He did, however, said if a member of the party was suspected of terrorism offences, that would likely lead to his expulsion.

According to Elo, Ekpa’s role on the public transport commission, for example, should be assessed locally.

Ekpa became active in the “Biafra independence movement” in 2019. He was noticed by the Nigerian media after he posted a video claiming that Nigerian soldiers had been killed by Boko Haram. According to a Nigerian rights attorney, the purpose was to “disillusion Nigerians, especially soldiers, to resign from the army.”

In July 2021, Ekpa was announced the lead broadcaster for Radio Biafra, associated with the separatist organisation, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, after the arrest of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

However, Ekpa was not allowed to broadcast for violation of the rules of the organisation.

In 2022, IPOB accused Ekpa of illegal activities, stating that stated it was a peaceful organization.

In July 2023, Ekpa led a faction of IPOB, claiming IPOB was dissolved in a vote, renamed “Autopilot”, and he became its spokesman.

In August 2022, Ekpa, who declared “full activation” of the Biafran government in exile, said: “We also wish to officially announce an alliance and activation of Biafra Government In Exile, BGIE, with the IPOB-Autopilot.

“In April 2023, he announced that he had been appointed as the prime minister of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile, BRGIE.

Ekpa was born on March 21, 1985, in Ohaukwu, Ebonyi State.

In September 2021, Ekpa denounced Nigeria and vowed to return the medal he won for the country at the 2003 African Junior Athletics Championships,and renounced his Nigerian citizenship the following year.

In July 2024, he said he had returned the medals to the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ekpa was the Chairman of the Igbo Union Finland from 2015 until 2019 and has also served as the Chairman of the Playground Board, in the city of Lahti, Finland, a position he held between 2017 and 2021.

Since 2009, Ekpa has worked in the legal field, including as a legal advisor.

On his arrest, the Presidency said yesterday it would be hasty to comment on whether the federal government would apply for the extradition of the factional leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Simeon Ekpa.

While the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said while it was the National Security Adviser, NSA, or the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice who were the right person to comment on the issue, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, said he was yet to know the mind of his principal.

Bwala said: “You know that the role of a spokesman is to speak the mind of your principal, and you cannot preempt the principal until you hear so. For example, this event took place in Finland, so the natural thing is that probably the Embassy in Finland will brief the Foreign Affairs Office, then the Foreign Affairs Office will probably brief the National Security Adviser or the President directly, and then the President will take a position which will then give us the insight into his position on the matter, and we’ll be able to respond to the media.

“At the moment, the President is out of the country and probably must be on his way, and then there is no official statement from foreign affairs ministry. So, it will amount to, I don’t want to say gaslighting. It will amount to irresponsibility for a spokesman to make the position that is not the position of his principal.

“So, maybe a little more time will help us to be able to get what the mind of the President is regarding the matter. Usually, in a situation like that, it is not even the President that immediately acts in a nation of rule of law. In a nation of rule of law, the chief law officer of the country is the attorney general.

“So, probably the attorney general now will be coordinating with the foreign affairs ministry if there is any government decision in respect of the matter. But I think that at this moment, in my view, I might be wrong, the procedure is that the embassy, which is our foreign office there, will brief probably the foreign affairs minister.