WE ARE TAKING ACTION ON SIMON EKPA'S CASE - FINLAND GOVT

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The Finnish Government has disclosed that it is taking action in the case of pro-Biafran agitator, Simon Ekpa, over his secession activities with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the south-east of Nigeria.

On Tuesday, Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Elina Valtonen, made the disclosure in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, during a press conference she addressed alongside her Nordic counterparts.

According to her, the case of Ekpa, whose activities were reported to the Finnish government by the Nigerian government, is now before the Finnish courts.

Self-proclaimed Biafra Prime Minister Ekpa has been a strong proponent of sit-at-home directives in the South Eastern states despite the mainstream leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, suspending the exercise.

In February 2023, days before the presidential and national assembly elections, Ekpa was arrested in Finland, where he resides, after threatening that the elections would not be held in the south-east.

Ekpa was arrested by the police at his residence in the Lahti area of the country, a Finnish paper, Helsingin Sanomat, reported.

The separatists repeatedly declared that there would be no elections in the Southeast region of the country and insisted on the observance of a sit-at-home every Monday in the area to protest the detention of the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

IPOB, however, distanced itself from the Finland-based Ekpa, who was reportedly billed for an interview before his arrest.

He was later released and has since been very active on social media, where he posts his pro-Biafran messages.

Valtonen was part of a delegation of Nordic ministers, including Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Denmark, who visited Nigeria to deepen trade ties between the countries.

The ministers noted that countering violent extremists in West Africa and achieving sustainable development goals are among the areas of special focus.