The CDS emphasised the need for decisive action, including diplomatic efforts, to address the threat posed by Ekpa.
By Jeffrey Agbo
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has expressed his frustration over the inability to extradite the self-proclaimed Prime Minister of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Simon Ekpa.
In a special broadcast on Channels Television to mark Nigeria’s 25th Democracy Day, the CDS accused Finland of protecting Ekpa.
Ekpa was arrested in Finland in February 2023 but was later released. The Finnish embassy in Nigeria said he was taken in as part of an investigation by Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation into a suspected money collection offence.
Musa called for Ekpa’s arrest and prosecution, citing his harmful statements and activities in the South-East region.
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He questioned the European Union’s commitment to democracy in Nigeria, given their inaction on this issue.
The CDS emphasised the need for decisive action, including diplomatic efforts, to address the threat posed by Ekpa.
He said, “We have repeatedly complained about the issue of Simon Ekpa. He is in Finland and the Finnish Government is giving him all the support and he is doing what he is doing.”
“The comments he is making, people are being killed and nothing is being done. This is democracy. If the European Union is supporting democracy and this is happening and they are not taking action, then they don’t mean well for Nigeria.
“We have said that in clear terms. We need to diplomatically find means of getting him out of whatever it is that he is doing. He must be arrested, he must be prosecuted.
“Look at it from the other way, assuming he is in Nigeria, he is doing that to the Finnish government, you think the European Union will allow that to happen? They definitely will not.”