Simon Ekpa not our member, says IPOB as FG celebrates conviction in Finland

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has slammed alleged attempts by the federal government to link the conviction of Simon Ekpa in Finland to IPOB.

“This is a brazen fraud against truth and justice. The world must know that the question of Simon Ekpa’s non-membership in IPOB is already judicially settled in Finland,” said IPOB in a statement.

MyNigeria reported that Ekpa was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment by a court in Finland on Monday.

Reacting, Nigeria’s Information Minister, Mohammed Idris, in a statement, said the ruling stands as a watershed moment – not only for the countless innocent Nigerians whose lives and livelihoods have been brutally disrupted by the reign of terror incited and financed by Ekpa and his collaborators—but also for the strengthening of bilateral relations between Nigeria and Finland.

He said for years, Ekpa’s reckless incitement and orchestration of violence through IPOB terror activities unleashed unspeakable pain: families shattered, businesses destroyed, children orphaned, and entire communities forced to live under fear. “Hundreds of lives were lost, and many more maimed, in pursuit of a destructive and unlawful agenda that sought to undermine the peace, unity, and sovereignty of our nation,” Idris said.

In response, IPOB said it testified under oath in a Finnish court that Simon Ekpa has never held any position in IPOB or ESN.

“Ekpa himself, under oath, described himself merely as a ‘content creator,’ admitted he disowned IPOB, and boasted that he would destroy IPOB.

“Ekpa created his own parallel contraptions: ‘Biafra Government in Exile,’ ‘Biafra Liberation Army (BLA),’ and ‘Biafra Defence Force (BDF)’ — entities repudiated and condemned by IPOB.

“Any narrative linking Ekpa’s personal downfall to IPOB is therefore deliberate misinformation — a calculated lie, knowingly repeated to deceive,” IPOB said.