Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, has asked the Nigerian Federal Government to expedite action in its plan to arrest Finland-based Simon Ekpa for sponsoring terrorism.
With the 2023 general elections less than 10 days away, tension is high in the South-East owing to Ekpa’s boast that no election would take place in the zone as he has vowed to unleash mayhem on anyone who dared to come out on the election day.
The self-acclaimed disciple of leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has consisted boasted of being in charge of the Unknown Gunmen who have been violently enforcing the sit-at-home and other violent activities in the South East region of Nigeria.
Through his breakaway IPOB group, the Autopilot, Ekpa has sustained the Monday sit-at-home order in parts of the South-East despite mainstream IPOB’s announcement, through its Spokesperson, Emma Powerful, that it has suspended the civil action.
Concerned by Ekpa’s latest threat, the Federal Government of Nigeria had summoned the ambassador of Finland to Nigeria, Leena Pylvanainen, as it seeks ways to stop further carnage in the South-East region.
At the meeting with Pylvanainen, Nigeria’s foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, represented by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada, was reported to have expressed displeasure over the orders given by Ekpa to his teeming followers who consequently embarked on killings, maiming, burning and other destructive activities.
The Nigerian Government said Ekpa’s action was fast becoming a threat to the forthcoming 2023 election, and that the FG would not take it lightly with him and the Finland governments if something drastic was not done.
The Nigerian Military had also earlier vowed that it would not allow anyone to truncate the 2023 polls.
While hailing the latest move by the Nigerian government, the Ohanaeze Secretary-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, said urgent action must be taken to stop Ekpa from carrying out his threats.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo scribe said in a statement on Thursday, that “one Simon Ifeanyi Njoku Ekpa has by his utterances and actions ascended the height of a global terrorist and sponsor of terrorism in Nigeria and particularly in the South-East.
“Simon Ekpa is liable for the violence, killing of Igbos and Nigerians in the Eastern part of the country and should be arraigned by the Finnish Government and the Nigerian government without further delay before he escapes from Finland.”
Isiguzoro while declaring that Ekpa’s case had gone beyond dialogue, noted that “Ndigbo have assembled all documents to prove that Simon Ekpa is sponsoring the killing of the Igbo and other Nigerians, especially the security agents, burning of public properties (INEC and court buildings), as well as disruption of economic and social activities in the South-East for the last six months.”
He stressed that Ndigbo would collaborate with other Nigerians to apprehend and hand over to security agencies those enforcing the Ekpa’s sit-at-home from the 23rd to 28th of February 2023 in an attempt to disrupt the 2023 Presidential elections which is to hold on February 25.
“Elections must be held in the South-East as Simon Ekpa is working with Igbo adversaries to suppress Igbo votes.
“This must be resisted; local vigilantes and community-based security outfits should join hands in the efforts to stamp out terrorism and banditry in the South-East,” he declared.
The Ohanaeze scribe urged the Federal Government “to mount fierce pressure on the Finnish Government to surrender Simon Ekpa to face prosecution in Nigeria.
“Finnish authorities should stop from shielding a global terrorist who is responsible for the killing over of 2000 Nigerians in the South-East.
“In our commitment to ensure that Ekpa is arrested, the $50,000 bounty on him has been increased to 100,000 dollars for anyone in Finland and Europe who has useful information on his new location.”
DAILY POST