The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has distanced itself from Simon Ekpa, the controversial Biafra agitator, following his recent arrest in Finland.
IPOB, in a statement issued on Friday, vehemently denied any affiliation with Ekpa, declaring that he was never a member of the group and could not be its leader.
On Thursday, Ekpa, a Finland-based secessionist, was arrested by law enforcement in the northern European country and sent to prison by the district court of Päijät-Häme for spreading terrorist propaganda on social media.
The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) also arrested four other men in connection with alleged terrorist offences. The charges against Ekpa relate to an incident in 2021 in Lahti municipality, Finland, where he allegedly disseminated material promoting terrorism.
In its statement, IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful stressed that Ekpa had no ties to the group, saying, “Simon Ekpa was never and is not an IPOB member, let alone being a leader in IPOB.
“IPOB has some family units in Finland, and Simon Ekpa is not a registered member of any IPOB unit in Finland or any other IPOB unit globally.”
The statement further clarified that IPOB, under its leader Nnamdi Kanu, has always been a peaceful movement advocating for Biafra’s independence through a UN-supervised referendum.
The IPOB condemned Ekpa as a “destructive agent” who had infiltrated the Biafra movement for personal gain. “It was unfortunate that some innocent Biafrans, being passionate for the restoration of the stolen sovereignty of the Biafran Nation, thought that Simon Ekpa was genuinely sympathetic to the Biafra cause,” the statement continued.
“Sadly, they had to learn the hard way that he was a destructive agent paid to infiltrate and destroy the IPOB peaceful movement for Biafra self-determination.”
Ekpa, who was appointed to manage Radio Biafra after Kanu’s arrest in June 2021, was soon dismissed from the role for failing to sign the rules of engagement for the station.
Following his removal, Ekpa went on to form his own faction, issuing orders such as the controversial sit-at-home directive in Nigeria’s southeast, which IPOB’s leadership repeatedly disavowed.
This faction, led by Ekpa, has been linked to escalating violence in the region, including attacks on security forces and the destruction of public property.
Most recently, Ekpa declared himself the “prime minister” of the Biafra Government in Exile (BGIE) and formed an armed group called the ‘Biafra Liberation Army’.
Using social media, he spread disinformation, sharing graphic images of killings by non-state actors and calling for the destruction of public facilities.
IPOB reiterated that Ekpa’s actions were not representative of its peaceful movement and called on Biafrans and IPOB members to remain focused on their ultimate goal: the peaceful restoration of the sovereign state of Biafra.
The IPOB leadership has consistently distanced itself from Ekpa, emphasising that he and his faction were responsible for the violence that has plagued the southeastern region of Nigeria since 2021.
“The Simon Ekpa-led group has no alliance, affiliation or relationship with IPOB family worldwide,” the statement concluded.
“The Nigerian government and politicians that contracted Simon Ekpa have been making strenuous efforts to tag the violent crimes of their agent on IPOB just to blackmail and demonise the genuine and peaceful Biafra self-determination struggle of the Biafran people led by IPOB.”
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