November 22, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government has attributed the arrest of Simon Njoku Ekpa, the self-proclaimed Prime Minister of the Biafra Government in Exile, to sustained diplomatic pressure on Finland to act against his alleged role in fostering violence and instability in Nigeria’s South-East region.
Authorities in Finland announced on Thursday that Ekpa and four others had been arrested on suspicion of terrorism-related crimes.
The Finnish police disclosed that Ekpa allegedly promoted activities from Finland that led to violence against civilians and authorities in South-Eastern Nigeria.
The investigation also implicated four others accused of financing the activities.
Welcoming the development, the Defense Headquarters described Ekpa’s arrest as a critical step toward addressing security concerns in the South-East. It also signaled ongoing diplomatic efforts to extradite him to Nigeria for prosecution.
The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed its commitment to monitoring the legal proceedings in Finland.
Acting spokesperson of the Ministry, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the arrest followed high-level engagements between the two countries aimed at neutralizing transnational threats to Nigeria’s national security.
The statement read, “The arrest of Mr. Simon Njoku Ekpa follows sustained diplomatic pressure by the Nigerian government on Finland to take action against his activities, which were linked to violence and instability in the South-East of Nigeria.
“The Ministry wishes to affirm that the arrest of Mr. Simon Ekpa is a significant development in addressing the activities of IPOB and neutralizing the influence of transnational actors and their impact on our national security.”
While Ekpa remains in custody in Finland, the Nigerian government assured that it is closely monitoring the legal proceedings and will provide updates as the case progresses.
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