Nigeria’s Attorney General, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has confirmed that efforts are underway to extradite Simon Ekpa, a separatist activist based in Finland, as authorities intensify crackdowns on dissent linked to unrest in the country’s Southeast.
During an engagement session with stakeholders at the Ministry of Justice headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, Fagbemi disclosed that the Nigerian government is working closely with Finnish officials to secure Simon Ekpa’s transfer back to Nigeria to face prosecution over charges connected to national security violations.
“Simon Ekpa’s offence is a cross border offence. If he committed an offence there and committed another one here, we cannot request his release to us until they have dealt with him. After that, we can request his extradition,” Fagbemi said.
He continued, “He committed an offence against the Finnish government as well as in Nigeria. His extradition will come at the right time.”
Ekpa, who claims to lead the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE), has been accused of fuelling violence across the Southeast, a region already grappling with persistent insecurity. Nigerian officials allege that his directives and broadcasts from abroad have emboldened armed groups operating under the pretext of agitating for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
READ MORE: I Established Radio Biafra to Promote Peace – Nnamdi Kanu
In November 2024, Finnish law enforcement apprehended Ekpa alongside four others. While his associates were subsequently freed, Ekpa’s case remains under assessment by Finland’s Deputy Prosecutor General, who is reviewing whether he should face local charges before any extradition proceedings advance.
The government has repeatedly accused Ekpa of inciting attacks in Nigeria and has blamed his online rhetoric for worsening insecurity in the Southeast. Securing his extradition has become a focal point of the government’s broader strategy to silence separatist campaigns and suppress escalating dissent in the region.#Simon Ekpa
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