Reactions continue to pour in following the arrest of Simon Ekpa, the self-proclaimed Prime Minister of Biafra, with some South-East Nigerians urging his prosecution and sentencing in Finland.
Ekpa was arrested last Thursday by Finnish authorities, along with four others, and subsequently detained by the Päijät-Häme district court on charges of “spreading terrorist propaganda on social media.”
The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) revealed that Ekpa, who holds dual citizenship in Finland and Nigeria, is suspected of publicly inciting criminal acts with terrorist intent. He also faces allegations of financing terrorism.
“The suspect has furthered his efforts from Finland, resulting in violence and other crimes in Southeast Nigeria,” Hiltunen said in a statement.
Ekpa’s arrest comes against the backdrop of escalating insecurity in Southeastern Nigeria, where armed groups have been wreaking havoc under the pretense of advocating for the sovereign state of Biafra.
According to the Daily Post, these armed individuals have continued to cause chaos in the region, claiming to enforce the Monday sit-at-home order originally introduced by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The sit-at-home directive was initially intended to pressure the Nigerian government into releasing Nnamdi Kanu.
However, IPOB, which has since suspended the sit-at-home order, has repeatedly disassociated itself from Ekpa, asserting that he is not a member of their organization.
READ ALSO: Genuine Reform in Africa Demands Political Will, Steadfast Commitment to Rule of law—Peter Obi
Reacting to the arrest, Abia South Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe emphasized that the solution to the insecurity in the Southeast lies in Kanu’s release, not Ekpa’s detention.
Abaribe argued that releasing Kanu would help distinguish genuine Biafra agitators from criminals operating under the guise of gunmen.
He said: “You want Biafra fine, but do you get Biafra by killing the same Biafrans you want? How does murdering people, killing people, going around killing policemen, spreading mayhem, and burning police stations help you?
“Everyone of them claims that it’s because Nnamdi Kanu is incarcerated that’s why the Southeast is experiencing insecurity but it will end when Nnamdi Kanu comes out, then we now know who is a genuine agitator and a criminal.
“When Kanu comes out, then he will know his followers. Nobody will have a reason to say we are burning down this police station or killing this person.”
Retired U.S. Army captain and military strategist, Bishop Johnson, stated that the Finnish government’s proper handling of Simon Ekpa’s arrest could significantly curb his incitement of violence and bloodshed in the Southeast.
In an interview with DAILY POST, Johnson emphasized that holding Ekpa accountable in Finland might also deter those financing his operations in the Southeast.
He said: “Simon Ekpa’s arrest will have an impact on the Southeast depending on how it’s handled by the Finnish government.
“If the Finnish government holds Ekpa and his accomplices – those sponsoring his operations, if they hold him accountable in Finland not here in Nigeria, it will have an impact.
“The incitement coming from him will no longer be viable and those sponsoring him will stop, the incitement will end; that is if he’s held accountable in Finland.”
He noted, however, that Ekpa’s arrest could have negative repercussions in the Southeast if he is extradited to Nigeria and detained in a manner similar to Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Johnson said: “If he’s extradited to Nigeria, there is the possibility that instead of his arrest having a positive impact, it might even lead to more violence because Nigeria as a country is very notorious for its abysmal human rights records.
“If you have a situation where Ekpa is extradited to Nigeria and is kept in the same condition Nnamdi Kanu is kept in, there would be those offended that two Igbo sons are dumped in DSS dungeon and are inhumanely treated.
“So, if you have that situation, then his arrest will lead to a negative impact instead of having a positive impact. It may also lead to bloodletting and destruction in the Southeast.”
Johnson noted that Ekpa’s arrest could further inflame the Southeast if his loyalists noticed that he was not subjected to due process.
“If there is due process and he is found guilty and held accountable for all the incitement in the Southeast, but anything contrary to that, if there is jungle justice, if the judicial process is bungled, it will inflame some of the people he has here on ground, because Ekpa does not operate in a vacuum, there are loyalists who follow him.
“It all depends on how his arrest is handled and if he’s properly prosecuted, if he’s held accountable for all the loss of lives and damage to properties as a result of his actions,” he said.
He maintained that the combination of Kanu’s release and Ekpa’s arrest would go a long way in restoring peace in the Southeast.
“I think a combination of both would work because if Ekpa is held accountable for all the incitement in Finland that he created, which led to loss of lives in the Southeast and Kanu is released, then peace can be restored.
“Most of the time, these people that perpetrate criminal activities in the Southeast, not all of them are real agitators, there are criminals who have capitalized on Kanu’s incarceration and absence to commit all sorts of criminal activities.
“So, if Kanu is freed we would have denied those people the excuse they used in committing crimes.
“With Kanu’s release, we will be able to separate the real agitators for self-determination from the criminal elements that have used the opportunity for their selfish interests,” he said.
Meanwhile, Osita Okechukwu, a former Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), stated that Ekpa should be tried and sentenced either in Finland or Nigeria for his crimes in the Southeast. The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain added that Ekpa’s arrest had been long overdue.
He told DAILY POST: “His arrest was long overdue. About two years ago, I met the Director General of NIA and he said they were making efforts but there were no bilateral diplomatic efforts with Finland.
“I urged him to intensify their efforts because Ekpa is a criminal and a murderer, because of him a lot of people have lost their lives in the Southeast.
“He has grounded the economy of the Southeast for no just cause, so I commend the diplomatic efforts of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar and our security agencies for the long hunt for fugitive Simon Ekpa.”
“I totally disagree with Ekpa’s strategy of committing heinous crimes against Ndigbo and grounding the Southeast geopolitical zone.
“There are better strategies to halt the marginalisation of our people, which is not by killings and maiming. I call for his sentence whether in Finland or in Nigeria,” he Okechukwu declared.
(Daily Post)
Follow the Parallel Facts channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCQSAoHgZWiDjR3Kn2E
