The Nigerian Government has said the arrest of Simon Ekpa, a Nigerian-Finnish citizen and a leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) followed sustained diplomatic pressure on Finland, to take action against his activities, linked to violence and instability in the South-East of Nigeria.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this while confirming the arrest of Simon Ekpa by the Finnish authorities in a statement issued on Friday.
The ministry, this in a statement by Kimiebi Ebienfa, the Acting Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Friday in Abuja said that Ekpa was arrested on Thursday on charges of inciting terrorism and promoting violence.
He was subsequently charged to court on charges of terrorism and promoting violence.
Ekpa, a Finnish politician and Biafran political activist, was reported to have in 2022 declared activation of Biafra Government in exile and himself leader in 2023 while in exile.
“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.
“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.
“The Finnish authorities alleged that Ekpa used social media platforms to spread separatist propaganda, incite violence and encourage illegal actions, which had caused significant disruptions in the South-East of Nigeria.
“Finnish investigators had also linked him to incidents of violence in Nigeria, which were believed to have been fueled by his online activities.
“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.”
It explained that the request for action featured during high-level engagements between the two countries.
It described the arrest of Ekpa as a significant development in tackling the activities of IPOB and neutralising the influence of transnational actors, and their impact on national security.
“The ministry will continue to monitor the legal proceedings and provide further updates as the case progresses,” he said.