CONTROVERSIAL pro-Biafra agitator Simon Ekpa has been arrested in Finland, days after the Nigerian government expressed worry over his inciting comments and imposition of a sit-at-home order on residents of Nigeria’s South-East, which could scuttle the elections scheduled to hold on February 25 in the region.
Ekpa was reportedly arrested on Thursday, February 23 by plainclothes police officers shortly before he was due to be interviewed by a filmmaker at his residence in Lahti, Southern Finland.
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An officer from the Central Criminal Police, Tommi Reen, confirmed to the press that the operation was in connection with an ongoing preliminary investigation, but did not comment further on the matter.
Earlier on Thursday, Ekpa had released a video calling for a referendum rather than an election in the South-East. He insisted that he was not fighting democracy in Nigeria but autocracy.
“We are now on the eve of our historic sit-at-home for the exit of Biafra from Nigeria. Biafra people are going to speak like never before. Their language will be historic starting from tomorrow,” he announced.
The pro-Biafra agitator also appealed to the United States not to ignore the will of the “Biafra people” to secede from Nigeria in 2023.
“US @SecBlinken must understand that the Biafra people have rejected the election, it is not their will & can never be their will. Don’t ignore the will of the Biafra people which is to conduct referendum for Biafra Exit,” he said in a tweet.
Recall that last week, the Nigerian Government had asked Finland to take decisive actions that would curb Ekpa’s activities and a viral letter emerged on social media claiming that the Finnish government had ordered Ekpa to retract his sit-at-home order or get arrested.
The sit-at-home order in the eastern states of the country is to commence from February 23, lasting till February 28, after Nigeria’s presidential and National Assembly elections, and would hamper smooth conduct of the election exercise.