After many years of spreading repeated violent propaganda on social media, Simon Ekpa, leader of a faction of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been arrested by the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and subsequently sent to prison by the district court of Päijät-Häme for “spreading terrorist propaganda on social media”.
According to a BBC report, Ekpa was said to have committed the alleged offence in August 2021. He is also said to be using his leadership position in a Nigerian separatist group to promote actions that have led to violence against civilians and authorities in southeastern Nigeria.
The separatist leader who currently represents Finland’s National Coalition Party (NCP) in Lahti’s public transport committee was arrested and detained briefly in 2023 for suspicion of fundraising fraud and had on several occasions justified the use of violence.
How Ekpa rose to prominence
The Finland-based agitator rose to prominence in July 2021 after the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, founder of IPOB, by the Nigerian government. At first, he was the lead broadcaster of Radio Biafra but disengaged two weeks later for alleged refusal to sign Radio Biafra’s rules of engagement.
He then floated his inciting online station known as the Enter Biafra Freedom Awareness Channels to instigate violence on social media. He also named his followers “Autopilot”, and they have been accused of the rise in terror activities in the region.
For the past three years, he has been at the forefront of a campaign to forcefully break Nigeria into multiple countries. Ekpa had shared a series of misleading tweets and forced a sit-at-home curfew on people in southeastern Nigeria on Mondays and any other specified period, killing many residents of the region in the process.
Many security agents have also been killed under the watch as security posts have been repeatedly targeted.
Though the sit-at-home curfew started as a protest against the incarceration of Kanu, the IPOB leader in a letter written from detention and dated July 24, 2023, announced an end to the practice. In fact, Kanu’s family had warned Ekpa to cease using his name and image in his broadcasts, but the Autopilot boss maintained that the sit-at-home curfew had not been suspended.
In 2023, Ekpa rebranded, launching a movement called Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE), with himself as ‘Prime Minister’. HumAngle reported that he has since been raising thousands of dollars for the movement from members in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, Germany, Spain, Israel, and South Africa through various strategies, including weekly Zoom fundraising campaigns that are live-streamed on Facebook, YouTube, and X.
The activities of the IPOB terror groups have made the South East, a region considered in 2012 the safest of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, a no-go area for citizens of the country.
What does Ekpa’s arrest mean for IPOB agitation?
Meanwhile, Ekpa’s arrest in Finland has sparked intense debate about its implications for IPOB agitation on social media. While some see it as a significant blow to the separatist group, others believe it won’t stop the agitation.
Some think Ekpa’s arrest will reduce his influence on IPOB activities, potentially weakening the movement. Reacting to this on X, Inibehe Effiong, a lawyer and human rights activist, tweeted, saying, “He (Simon Ekpa) should give an account of his actions. You cannot stay in a foreign country and sponsor or instigate terrorism and killings in Nigeria. I wonder why it took so long for him to be taken into custody. Let’s hope that the Finnish government has done due diligence.”
When HumAngle contacted some Nigerians residing in the South East, they said Ekpa’s arrest may stop the violent attack in the region but won’t stop Biafra agitations, as he can be replaced, and the movement will continue.
“When Kanu was arrested, Ekpa stepped up and took the leadership of Biafra agitation but in a more violent way. His arrest will no doubt create a vacuum of leadership, but it won’t stop Biafra Nation agitation. If a more civilised person takes charge, there won’t be much of a problem.
“However, there may be worse violent protests if another violent propagandist steps up to fill his gap,” Ebi Raphael, a secondary school teacher in Imo, told HumAngle.
A top security personnel who has been at the forefront of combating terrorism in the region since 2021 told HumAngle that he believes that Ekpa’s arrest will reduce his ability to coordinate and incite violence in the region.
“We are happy to hear about Ekpa’s arrest because his boys have been our major challenge. We are very much on alert because we also understand that the development could lead to more extreme actions by his supporters,” the police officer, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak, said.
Nigerians are hoping that the recent development will weaken the IPOB trajectory in the South East.