- Safiu Kehinde
In the wake of Simon Ekpa’s arrest in Finland, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has denied ties with the self-acclaimed Biafra Prime Minister.
Ekpa, who was arrested yesterday over alleged incitement of terrorism and civil unrest in Southeast Nigeria, was disowned in a statement issued by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, on Friday.
The secessionist group also denied ties with the Biafran Republic Government in Exile (BRIGE) formed by Ekpa.
Powerful stated that Ekpa has never been a member of IPOB, adding that he is not a registered member in any country including in Finland.
Reaffirming the detained Nnamdi Kanu as its leader, the IPOB spokesperson labelled Ekpa as an agent paid to infiltrate and destroy the group’s peaceful movement for Biafra self-determination.
The statement reads in part, “For public records, Simon Ekpa has never been a member of IPOB led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who is currently being detained illegally in the DSS solitary confinement by the Nigerian Government since almost four years.
“IPOB has some family units in Finland, and Simon Ekpa is not a registered member of any IPOB unit in Finland or any unit globally.
“Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu established IPOB as a peaceful movement to seek Biafra Independence via a supervised UN referendum.
“On the other hand, Simon Ekpa was seen by some innocent Biafrans as someone sympathetic to the Biafra course.
“Until they discovered that he was a destructive. He recruited violent criminals to destabilize the South East Region in 2021.”
Following Ekpa’s arrest, the Defence Headquarters had, yesterday, called for his extradition.