Wia dis foto come from, Simon Ekpa
22 November 2024
Following di arrest of Simon Ekpa – a promoter of di proscribed militant group Indegenous Pipo of Biafra (Ipob) – in Finland on Thursday, many pipo don dey call for di Finland goment to bring Ekpa back to Nigeria to face trial.
Ekpa na di self-appointed Prime Minister of di group wey e call di Biafra Goment in Exile (BRGIE), a faction wey breakout of Ipob afta di arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, di leader of di group.
Tori pipo for Finland report say one District Court for Päijät-Häme don remand Ekpa and four oda pipo wey dem arrest for prison on suspicion of publicly inciting pipo to commit crime wit terrorist intent.
Ekpa na Nigerian man from Ebonyi State in di Southeast region of di kontri, but e also get Finland passport and dat mean say e be citizen of di European Union.
Reacting to di arrest, Tukur Gusau di tok-tok pesin for di Nigeria Defence, tok say “di Chief of Defence Staff dey happy wit Ekpa arrest for Finland, wit di hope say dis go be a step towards his extradition to Nigeria so dat he go face justice”.
So wetin be di possibility of di Finnish goment extraditing Ekpa to Nigeria to face trial?
Normally, no sovereign nation dey under obligation to surrender a criminal to anoda nation, bicos evri sovereign nation get legal authority over pipo wey dey live within dia borders.
Dis na why bifor extradition go happun, di two nations involved suppose don get extradition agreement between dem.
Also, di nation wey dey request for di extradition must to get proof say di arrested suspect bin commit di crime for dia territory, or say di crime affect pipo wey dey live for dia territory.
Chukwuma Ezeala, a lawyer, tok for one TV interview say: “Terrorism na international crime, and accordig to di Rome Status, all kontris wey be signatories to di Status must cooperate in di arrest, punishment and prevention of terrorism. And in dis case, Nigeria and Finland na signatories to di Rome Status.”
“Anoda kwesion na weda we (Nigeria) get bilateral agreement wit Finland, but from all indications, Nigeria and Finland no get such agreement.”
“However, since terrorism na international crime, Ekpa still fit dey extradited to Nigeria but e go depend on weda Nigeria go fit satisfy di oda conditions wey go make Finland extradite Ekpa.”
Anoda factor wey fit affect di request for extradition na di human rights records of di requesting kontri. If di nation wey arrest di suspect no dey satisfied say di requesting nation go uphold di human rights of di suspect, dem fit no gree to hand am over, according to Vince Onyekwelu wey be former British Police officer and a security analyst.
“Bringing dat man (Ekpa) to Nigeria to face trial na great idea, but I no think say di Chief of Defence Staff suppose go house go dey sleep, bicos di Finnish goment go first check di human rights record of Nigeria, and we know say our human rights record na nothing to boast about,” Onyekwelu tok for TV interview.
“Again, Simon Ekpa na politician for Finland since 2017 and im na member of di National Coalition Party wey be di ruling party for Finland today. Ekpa also serve as army officer for Finland. Wen you check di human rights record for Nigeria, you tink say di National Coalition Party of Finland go feel comfortable to extradite dia citizen come Nigeria?”
Similarly, Uche Mefor, wey be di former second-in-command to Nnamdi Kanu for Ipob, bin chook mouth for di matter – e say to extradite Ekpa “go be a serious legal battle and Nigeria fit no succeed becos Simon na Finnish citizen”.
Mefor believe say if di matter reach trial and jail, Ekpa go spend am for Finland not Nigeria.
Brief background of Simon Ekpa
Wia dis foto come from, Simon Ekpa
Simon Ekpa hail from one small village Ohaukwu, for Ebonyi State, Southeast Nigeria.
Dem born am March 21, 1985, according to im profile for di website of World Athletics.
Im bin represent Nigeria for di 2003 Africa U20 Championships wia e compete for di 100m race, long jump and triple jump wia e win a silver medal.
E move to Finland in 2007 and e compete for di Finnish Indoor Championships in February 2009, and di Helsinki 4 Athletics GP in August of di same year, both as a Finnish citizen.
Ekpa bin marry a Finnish woman and dem bin get one child who im bin dey show off for social media.
E also sabi speak Finnish language and bin serve both in Finland regular military and in dia reserve Army.
As a Nigerian diasporan for Finland, Ekpa bin serve as di president of Igbo Union Finland in 2015 but in 2021, shortly afta Nnamdi Kanu announce Ekpa as di pesin wey go dey speak for am on radio Biafra, e publicly renounce im Nigeria citizenship, come tok say im go return di medal im bin win for Nigeria for di 2003 Africa U20 championships.
Wen security pipo for Kenya arrest Kanu and send am back to Nigeria in June 2021, Ekpa and di oda Ipob leaders declare a region-wide restriction of movement for di Southeast region of Nigeria every Monday, to register dia anger wit di goment.
However, Ipob later announce say dem don cancel dat sit-at-home order, but Ekpa no gree. Dis na wetin make am pull out of Ipob to form im own group wey im bin call ‘Auto Pilot’, bifor e rename am to di Biafra Govment In Exile (BRGIE).
Na dis group dey support di armed group wey base for eastern Nigeria wey dia name na di ‘Biafra Liberation Army’, according to several posts and coments wey Ekpa don make for social media.
Ipob diasef also get armed unit – di Eastern Security Network (ESN) – wey Nnamdi Kanu bin setup bifor im arrest.
According to di Nigeria security authorities, dis groups dey responsible for di killing of plenty security operatives and civilians for di region, as well as destruction of many govment and private buildings.
As many pipo dey chook mouth on top di matter of Simon Ekpa arrest, di tok-tok pesin for Ipob, Emma Powerful, don tok say Ekpa no be leader of di organisation and e no even be member.
“Simon Ekpa no be registered member of any Ipob unit for Finland or any unit globally.”
“Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu establish Ipob as a peaceful movement to seek Biafra Independence thru a supervised UN referendum… Di Simon Ekpa led group no get any alliance or relationship wit Ipob and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” Powerful tok.
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Publish date : 2024-11-22 15:46:00
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