Enyinnaya Abaribe, the senator representing Abia South, has alleged that Simon Ekpa, the self-proclaimed leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), described his activities as mere “content creation.”.....READ THE FULL STORY>>.....READ THE FULL STORY>>
Ekpa, who was arrested last week in Finland, was subsequently detained by the Päijät-Häme district court for “spreading terrorist propaganda on social media.”
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Abaribe welcomed Ekpa’s arrest, asserting that the secessionist admitted his actions were staged.
“What it does is tell those at home who have been instigated by Simon Ekpa to commit violence that he himself said he is just a content creator,” Abaribe stated.
Abaribe criticized Ekpa’s activities as misaligned with the values of the Igbo people. He said that while IPOB initially sought a peaceful referendum, criminals have exploited the agitation to commit violent crimes in the South-East.
“A legitimate quest by IPOB for a non-violent referendum has been hijacked by kidnappers and criminals. Unfortunately, they’ve leveraged the emotional resonance of Biafra to deceive people,” the senator explained.
He added, “What’s happening in the South-East is not supported by anyone in the region. It’s a band of criminals taking advantage of the situation. Our security agencies also struggle to differentiate between genuine agitators and criminals, leading to IPOB being blamed for everything.”
Abaribe argued that resolving the crisis in the South-East requires the release of Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB’s detained leader. He suggested that Kanu’s freedom would undermine those exploiting his name to justify violence.
Nigerian authorities have been pushing for the extradition of Ekpa, a dual citizen of Finland and Nigeria, to face prosecution.
