The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has asked the Federal Government to expedite action to arrest Finland-based Simon Ekpa.
Ekpa has been threatening in online video broadcasts that the 2023 general elections coming in less than 10 days will not hold in the South-East heightening tension among the people of the zone.
The self-acclaimed disciple of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, had vowed to unleash mayhem on anyone who dared to come out on the election day.
The same Ekpa’s Autopilot group has sustained the Monday sit-at-home order in some parts of the South-East despite 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 was reported to have met with the Ambassador of Finland in 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’s factional Secretary-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro said urgent action must be taken to stop Ekpa from carrying out his threats.
He said in a statement made available to newsmen 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 in 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.”
