Simon Ekpa being led away by security operatives
Nigerians in Finland have taken to social media to celebrate the arrest of separatist agitator, Simon Ekpa, by security operatives in Finland.
Working with InterPol, security operatives in Finland nabbed Ekpa who had been spreading hate and violence through his provocative speeches.
Ekpa, a lawyer, was said to be sponsoring killings and violence in the south east, insisting on the realization of the Republic of Biafra.
Recently, he was seen in a video declaring sit-at-home order in the south east and parts of the south-south and urging citizens not to participate in the February 25 election.
Ekpa, a factional leader of the Nigerian proscribed separatist group the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was arrested on Thursday, according to a report by BBC Igbo Service.
The report quoted a journalist with Finland national news agency Helsingin Sanomat, Matilta Jokinen, who confirmed that Ekpa is in the custody of security operatives.
Jokinen said she went to Ekpa’s house to interview him and saw security officers at Ekpa’s home on arrival.
The journalist told BBC Igbo that the police did not disclose the reason for arresting Ekpa.
“I went to interview him this morning. When I reached his house and knocked, the police told me that I could not interview him for work as they and the person I came to interview was Siomn Ekpa is in their hands.”
Recently, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Igbo socio-cultural group, urged the government of Finland to arrest Ekpa.
Nigeria’s minister of foreign affairs Geoffrey Onyeama also last week met with the Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria Leena Pylvanainen to discuss the threats by the factional IPOB leader.
Onyeama, at the meeting, expressed displeasure over the recent sit-at-home orders given by Ekpa to his teeming followers, who he said, consequently embarked on killings, maiming, burning and other destructive activities.
He said Ekpa’s action was fast becoming a threat to the forthcoming election, and that the Nigerian government would not take it lightly with him and the Finland government if nothing drastic was done to curtail his threats.
A Nigerian in Finland with the Twitter name 99% OPPRESSED said he was happy that Ekpa had been arrested. He thanked the government of Finland for effecting the arrest and urged Nigerians to go out and vote in the Saturday election.
