Nigeria intensifies move to extradite Simon Ekpa as foreign minister meets Finland counterpart

The Nigerian government has intensified a move to extradite Simon Ekpa, a factional leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) from Finland.

The Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, revealed this on Tuesday after high-level discussions with his counterparts from Finland, Sweden and Iceland as well as representatives from Norway and Denmark in Abuja.

Addressing the press after the meeting, Tuggar confirmed that Nigeria had raised concerns about a controversial Biafra agitator Simon Ekpa with Finland, addressing the issue “vociferously.”

“That is a no-brainer. You know there’s no way Nigeria is going to engage with Finland without raising the issue of Simon Ekpa, and raising it vociferously. So, take that as having been done,” the minister said.

Also, Elina Valtonen, the Finnish Foreign Affairs Minister, disclosed that her country has started acting on the complaint by the Nigerian Government against Ekpa, a Nigerian-Finnish citizen.

“We have taken this up and discussed this with the Nigerian authorities… and the entire process is within our judicial system,” she said.

Valtomen acknowledged that the case involving Ekpa, has strained diplomatic relations between Finland and Nigeria, though she avoided directly naming the Nigerian-Finnish citizen.

Her remarks unmistakably referred to Ekpa, whose actions have complicated Finland’s position, as they grapple with balancing his right to freedom of expression against the criminal nature of his inciteful social media activities, which have led to violence in the Southeast region.

Valtomen emphasised that Finland’s approach to Ekpa’s case will be strictly guided by the rule of law. She clarified that the issue is not a political one but will be decided by Finnish courts.

“Finland operates very strictly by the rule of law,” she stated, adding that both nations’ judicial systems are collaborating on the matter, with hopes for a resolution soon.

Ekpa, who calls himself the ‘Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile,’ has claimed responsibility for attacks on Nigerian security forces and individuals suspected of supporting Nigeria.

He justified these actions as retaliation against what he describes as the terror inflicted by Nigerian security forces on “Biafra territory.”

Operating from Finland, Ekpa advocates for extreme measures to achieve the secession of the Southeast and parts of neighbouring states from Nigeria to form a sovereign Biafra nation, a move that sparked Nigeria’s Civil War from 1967 to 1970.

His tactics include enforcing an illegal stay-at-home order every Monday in the region, leading to huge economic disruption as residents comply out of fear of violence. He also targets federal institutions through his enforcers.

Ekpa has parted ways with Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of IPOB, over differences in their approach to achieving Biafran independence.

Kanu, a dual British and Nigerian citizen, has been held by Nigeria’s State Security Service (SSS) since June 2021 after being re-arrested in Kenya. He faces charges of treasonable felony in Abuja.

The Nigerian government has accused Finland and the European Union of allowing Ekpa to continue his activities, which they say are destabilising the Southeast region.