Extradite, punish him for killings in S’East, Ohanaeze tells FG
May he burn in hell – Charly Boy
With less than 48 hours into the all-important 2023 presidential election the states of the Southeast have erupted in wild jubilation on Thursday after the arrest of Finnish resident and Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa leaked into the media.
From Anambra to Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia and Imo States, residents of the region were seen in celebration of what they described as the imminent end to the wanton killings of Igbo indigenes over a controversial order allegedly imposed by IPOB and enforced by Simon Ekpa’s followers who became known as unknown gunmen.
Some residents who spoke to our correspondents described Ekpa’s arrest as “good riddance to bad rubbish.” A resident who spoke in Awka, the Anambra State capital, Nnamdi Ezendu said, “The guy (Ekpa) should be renditioned to Nigeria for proper punishment. That guy needs to be peppered for all the atrocious acts he had caused in this state and the entire South-East.
“The Nigerian government should not allow his case to be handled by the Finland authorities. They will handle him with kid gloves there because of the Oyibo people’s overemphasis on human rights. Ekpa needs to be handled the Nigerian way.
A member of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) loyal to the Nnamdi Kanu’s faction, who graved anonymity described Ekpa’s arrest as “The end of a heartless era.
” How can you collect money in dollars to destroy your home; killing, maiming, destroying property and ordering unnecessary sit-at-home orders in a depressed economy such as ours. We thank God he has been arrested. We’ve no tears for him.”
The Anambra State Police Command had recently identified those attacking police stations in the state as persons suspected to be members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), of which most people are of the opinion that the Ekpa faction was the IPOB meant by the police in the circumstances since the Kanu faction of the IPOB had since distanced itself from the sit-at-home declarations and election matter.
The state Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Tochukwu Ikenga, made the disclosure following similar-fact coordinated attacks on police and other government facilites in the state where no fewer than seven police personnel were killed in less than one week.
Some have accused Ekpa of working with some political bigwigs to destabilize and truncate elections in Anambra State to diminish the chances of a frontline presidential candidate from the state.
For the Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, Simon Ekpa and his co-travellers are criminals that would not be allowed to disrupt the socio-economic activities of the state with their sit-at-home orders.
Describing Ekpa as “a mad man in Finland,” Soludo had said Anambra would no longer afford the loss of 20 per cent of its public life to sit-at-home which, he said, was already becoming part of life in the South-East.
The governor said, “Eight LGAs were totally taken over at the time we came, they said they were unknown gunmen, no, they are known gunmen born of women and from communities.
“One mad man living in Finland said he was declaring sit-at-home. We must get back to work, working five days in a week, we must take back Anambra from the criminals, we cannot build a prosperous Anambra when we work four days, when our children go to school four days, that is a 20 per cent loss in productivity,” he said.
Residents of Umuahia, the home town of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) has felt some relief following his arrest.
Speaking in Umuahia, Mrs Ifeoma Orji, a civil rights activist said that the activities of Simon Ekpa, has turned to be a source of embarrassment to the family of Nnamdi Kanu in Umuahia and to the IPOB family worldwide.
She said that the activities of Ekpa and his fellow criminals has resulted in loss of so many innocent lives in the South East states. She thanked God for his arrest, stating, she is one of those who signed the online petition to the Finnish Government that led to his arrest.
Politicians and youths in the region have expressed hope that the southeastern zone would have peaceful elections come February 25th and March 11, 2023. They said their hope is based on the heels of the arrest of the factional leader of IPOB Simon Epka.
In Ebonyi state, the leader of Southeast must be good again, Chinyere Okereke said, “this is the best news I have received in recent time, this man called Simon Ekpa has dealt with the people, especially the Southeast region.
” Come to think of it, he is a young man who is supposed to be thinking of how to better the region, all he could do is stay in Finland and be issuing orders to destroy our youths, men, and properties. He is evil and deserves more than arrest”.
Mr. Chima Nwokwu a politician in the state also said, ”This is a good development, with this I believe we will have a peaceful election in the zone. To tell you the truth, many people are afraid of going to cast their vote on 25th February and March 11, because of the fear of the unknown. Honestly with this development people will be free to exercise their franchises.
When contacted on phone, the Special Security Consultant with the Ebonyi state government, Mr. Stanley Emegha declined to speak on the matter. He, however, said that Ekpa’s threats and orders have been all about noise making especially as the state never observes his orders.
Meanwhile, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo socio-political organization has called on the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa is extradited to Nigeria and punished for his atrocities in the South East.
Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze, made the call while reacting to Ekpa’s arrest by Finnish authority. Isiguzoro described Ekpa as an international terrorist who should be punished.
“If truly the Finnish authorities arrested Simon Ekpa over international terrorism, then they should extradite him back to Nigeria where his killer gang is killing a lot of people. A lot of killings have been associated with Simon Ekpa in the South East.
“It’s certain that Simon Ekpa is a global terrorist and should be made to face trial for his atrocities. I call on the Federal Government through the Attorney General, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [to] ensure that Ekpa is handed over to the Nigerian authority so he would answer for the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Igbos, and destruction of properties.
“It’s cheering news to the people of the South East and with the arrest of Ekpa, we expect that the violence and insecurity and the killer squad in the South East will no longer have a backbone.
“They should confiscate Ekpa’s account for sponsoring terrorism in the South East. Igbos in Finland have done their best to ensure we nip in the bud [the] killings and violence caused by Ekpa. Ekpa must not be allowed to escape justice, the Finnish authority must not release him. The Federal Government, through the Attorney General, must not allow Ekpa to escape through the Finnish laws,” he said.
Popular Nigerian singer and activist, Charles Chukwuemeka Oputa, widely known as Charly Boy has reacted to the arrest of Simon Ekpa, a self-acclaimed disciple of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.
Reacting to the reported arrest, Charlyboy took to his official Twitter handle to mock the separatist, saying he will burn in hell.
He wrote: “Can someone confirm for me that dis nwabanshi of a man has been finally arrested? The saboteur in Igboland causing mayhem and sponsoring terrorists. For all the youths you have led to their untimely death, may [you] burn in Hell.”
Finland authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of Simon Ekpa. A media photo showed the Finnish police escorting Ekpa out of his apartment in Lahti.
When contacted, an official of the Finnish Embassy in Abuja pleading anonymity confirmed Ekpa’s arrest.
“It is our understanding that he is currently in police custody in Finland,” the official said.
The Finland-based legal practitioner and a former athlete is known for his subversive comments against the country and its leadership.
Ekpa, a political activist, had in recent years spoken against the unity of the country, insisting the Republic of Biafra must be achieved. He increased his campaigns after June 2021 re-arrest and repatriation of Nnamdi Kanu, founder of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB. Security and intelligence service have linked the kidnapping and murders in the South East to Ekpa’s speeches.
It would be recalled that before his eventual arrest on Thursday, Nigerians all over the world signed a petition appealing to the Finnish government, Nigerian Government and the European Union to arrest Ekpa, the alleged brain behind the enforcement of the sit-at-home order in the South-East.
Ekpa, a self-acclaimed disciple of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, had repeatedly ordered the people of the South-East to observe a sit-at-home and asked them to boycott the country’s general elections billed for this Saturday with threat to unleash mayhem on violators.
His sit-at-home order has been marked by bloodshed and destruction of lives and properties in the region by its enforcers.
On February 15, the Federal Government was said to have summoned the Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Leena Pylvanainen, over “hate speech and inciting comments” by Ekpa.
At the meeting with Pylvanainen, Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, said Ekpa’s action was fast becoming a threat to the forthcoming election, and that the Federal Government would not take it lightly with him and the Finland government if drastic actions were not taken.
“We thought it was important for us to have this chat with you to let you know that, of course, he is living in the comfort of his home there in Finland and we know that we have been in touch with your good self.
“We have had some time to ensure that we arrest this situation but it appears the situation is getting out of hand. And we are saying enough is enough. We should let you know, in very strong terms that it is high time you really back Nigeria with the quest that something is done immediately because he threatens the forthcoming elections.
“The sad thing is that this gentleman has a lot of followers out there. And the moment he issues these instructions, what happens is that you have destructions the very next day. They embark on killings and burning and you name it. And we believe this is not acceptable.
“It’s important to get to know that these elections are being threatened by the actions of someone and that something needs to be done immediately, to address the situation.
“This in essence is why we thought it was important for us to have this discussion with you, so as to let you know our concerns and the displeasure of the Government of Nigeria and the people of Nigeria on this very unhealthy development,” the minister, who was represented by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada, had told Pylvanainen.
Series of attacks in states of the southeast were linked to Ekpa, including several attacks on offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) local government headquarters, and a number of killings of south east citizens. Ekpa never refuted the allegations but was always returning to issue more orders and threats.
Finnish police release Ekpa hours after grilling
Meanwhile, Ekpa was said to have been released by the Finnish police the same Thursday, hours after he was arrested and grilled.
He was reported to have been released on Thursday evening after the police allegedly arrested him for a suspected crime in Finland.
The Finnish Central Criminal Police confirmed Ekpa’s release on Thursday, according to HS reports.
The police claimed that its operation in Lahti and the subsequent arrest of the pro-Biafra agitator were in connection with the ongoing preliminary investigation.
“The person being questioned today is suspected of a crime. We will return to the title on Friday,” Tommi Reen from the Central Criminal Police told HS during a phone interview.”