The international police force known as “Interpol” has detained Simon Ekpa, the head of a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), in Finland.
When attempting to fly to Israel, IPOB Ekpa was reportedly detained at the international airport in Finland. This comes after numerous Nigerians demanded his arrest in response to the murders and sit-at-home orders he is said to have imposed, which have severely hampered activity in the country’s South-East.
Helsingin Sanomat, a Finnish newspaper, claimed that they scheduled an interview at Ekpa’s residence close to the Lahti market square so he could explain the reasons behind his support for secession and resistance to elections.
But when Ekpa’s neighbor opened it, they saw the National Bureau of Investigation’s police inside. A police officer informed the reporters, “The interview has been postponed indefinitely.” The police officer said, “both, and the KRP handles the work here,” when asked if it was because the interrogations took so long or because it was impossible to meet the individual we were looking for after them.
When Simon Ekpa was brought out of the flat by police officers wearing civilian clothing, a cameraman who was on the scene for HS later corroborated the development.
The National Bureau of Investigation’s Tommi Reen later confirmed by phone to the publication that the KRP had conducted a police operation on Thursday at a private property in the heart of Lahti in connection with an ongoing pre-trial inquiry. One individual was captured by police inside the flat. The KRP believes the man who was arrested committed a crime, but at this time, it makes no comments about the specific charge.
Reen only gave vague details about the procedure in an apartment in the heart of Lahti, declining to confirm the man’s identity. He made no further remarks.
Also, it was stated that NIGERIA had requested Finland get involved in Ekpa’s operations. Leena Pylvänäinen, the Finnish ambassador, was invited to a discussion on the subject last week by the Nigerian foreign minister. Finland shares concerns about security and condemns violence and incitement to it, as well as “actions aimed at preventing people from exercising their democratic rights,” according to Jussi Nummelin, team leader for West and Central Africa at the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who spoke to HS a week ago on Thursday.
It is unknown if there are plans to extradite him to Nigeria to face justice for his alleged transgressions.
