IPOB disowns Simon Ekpa, labels him destructive agent
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has denied any affiliation with Simon Ekpa, a controversial secessionist, stating he was never a member of the organisation.
In a statement released on Friday, IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, emphasised that Ekpa, who resides in Finland, is neither registered with IPOB’s Finland chapter nor recognised as a leader within the group.
Ekpa was arrested on Thursday in Finland by law enforcement authorities and subsequently imprisoned by the Päijät-Häme district court for allegedly spreading terrorist propaganda on social media. The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) reported that Ekpa committed the alleged offences in 2021 in Lahti municipality. Four other individuals were also apprehended for alleged terrorist activities.
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Powerful described Ekpa as a “destructive agent” allegedly paid to infiltrate and destabilise IPOB, which he reiterated remains a peaceful organisation committed to the self-determination of Biafra through a UN-supervised referendum.
“Simon Ekpa was never and is not an IPOB member, let alone a leader in IPOB,” Powerful stated. “IPOB is a peaceful global movement that has never taken to violence or arms struggle in two decades of our self-determination struggle.”
He further claimed that Ekpa had misled some Biafrans who believed in his commitment to the Biafran cause, only to discover he was recruiting violent criminals to create instability in Nigeria’s South-East region.
Powerful accused both the Nigerian and Finnish governments of protecting Ekpa, asserting that efforts had been made to link IPOB to the violent crimes perpetrated by Ekpa’s faction to tarnish the group’s reputation.
Ekpa had previously been appointed to manage IPOB’s Radio Biafra after the arrest of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, in June 2021. However, IPOB announced his dismissal weeks later for refusing to adhere to the platform’s rules of engagement.
Following the fallout, Ekpa created his own faction and introduced counter directives, including a controversial sit-at-home order in Nigeria’s South-East. IPOB consistently dissociated itself from these directives which were linked to increasing violence in the region, including attacks on security personnel.
Recently, Ekpa declared himself the “prime minister” of a self-proclaimed Biafra government in exile (BGIE) and established the “Biafra Liberation Army,” an armed group. Using social media, he has been accused of spreading disinformation, inciting violence, and sharing graphic images of attacks on security forces.
Powerful called on IPOB members and supporters to remain focused on the peaceful pursuit of Biafra’s independence, urging them to ignore Ekpa’s actions.
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