The Nigerian government has called on the government of Finland to rein in the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Simon Ekpa, who is based in Finland from where he is issuing threats to sabotage the 2023 general election.
Indications to this development emerged on Tuesday when the minister of state for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada met with the Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms Leena Pylvānāinen, in Abuja on Tuesday.
The minister sought immediate action against Mr Ekpa as his calls to his followers to boycott the elections through their sit-at-home order threatens the conduct of peaceful elections in the southeastern part of the country.
Ekpa was appointed to lead the secessionist group after its main leader Nnamdi Kanu was extradited to Nigeria through extraordinary rendition by the Nigerian Government with alleged connivance with the Kenyan Government. Mr Kanu is still in detention amid allegations of treason levelled against him by the Nigerian Government.
Dada while speaking noted that Nigeria and Finland share a very good relationship. He said, “There is this irritant that is threatening our relationships and we believe it shouldn’t be so. There is a gentleman by the name. Simon Ekpa, who is a Nigerian but he calls himself a Biafran, he has a right to.
“He is issuing some statements that are threatening the peaceful conduct of the forthcoming elections in Nigeria, and the Nigerian authorities and Nigerian government do not take this lightly at all. He has made these very inflammatory statements, he has made these calls on his followers to kill, to maim to destroy.
“In fact, he has vowed that these elections would not be held in the Southeastern part of the country, and we believe it is not proper, we frown at it and the Nigerian government of course, is ready and willing to do all that it takes to ensure that these elections do hold in all parts of the country”, he said.
Dada stated that it is most disturbing that Ekpa is living in the comfort of his home in Finland and issuing these very dangerous calls and orders to his followers not to allow the elections to hold, adding that his calls are threatening the peace of the southeastern part of Nigeria.
Dada said further that “This gentleman has a lot of followers and the moment he issues these instructions, what happens is that you have destruction the very next day; they embark on killings, maiming and burning, and we believe this is not acceptable.
“We thought it was important for us to have this chat with you, to let you know our concerns as well as the displeasure of the government of Nigeria and the people of Nigeria on this very unhealthy development. I know that we have been in touch with your good self for quite some time to ensure that we arrest this situation, but it appears the situation is getting out of hand and we are saying, enough is enough.
“We should let you know in very strong terms that it is high time you rein him in, and in fact Nigeria will request that something be done immediately, because he threatens the conduct of peaceful elections in the southeastern part of the country”, he concluded.
Responding, the Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms Leena Pylvānāine, said that Nigeria and Finland are celebrating 60 years of diplomatic relations, even as she emphasized that Finland condemns all violence and incitement to violence in all its forms.
She said, “We are very much on the same side on this issue, this is something I want to make very, very clear. Finland condemns all violence and incitement to violence in all its forms. Political aims, of course, should be pursued through political means only. That is very clear, it stems from the fundamentals of our actions, it is enshrined in our constitution.”
“Now, we do have this irritant, as you called it, on our bilateral agenda and it is a topic on which there has been cooperation between the National Bureau of Investigation of Finland and the relevant Nigerian authorities. There have been contacts, information has been shared and we hope for more of that in order for all our authorities to do their job.
“And that is to investigate really what is going on and to see how these fits into the legal framework of Finland because we are, of course, speaking of a Finnish citizen.”
She said Ekpa is a dual citizen of Nigeria and Finland, and the Finnish government has to take his rights into consideration as well, adding that everything has to obviously be done according to legislation which has very strong protections for freedom of speech and stipulations against hate speech and incitement to violence.
“We do really underline our support and the importance we see for this election, not only for Nigerians but for the entire region so we are with you very much on that and we share your concerns regarding the security situation in the southeast, “ she said.
