By Felix Ofou
A court in Finland recently sentenced a self acclaimed controversial leader of one of Nigeria’s secessionist movement to six years in prison after convicting him of terrorism-related offences.
Simon Ekpa, a Finnish citizen of Nigerian origin, “attempted to promote the independence of the so-called Biafra region in the South-Eastern through what the court termed, “illegal means”.
He was also accused of equipping armed groups with weapons and explosives through a network of contacts. The Päijät-Häme District Court ruled, in a unanimous verdict handed down by a panel of three judges that Ekpa was guilty of the charges.
Although Ekpa, a former councillor in Finland’s Lahti city, denied the charges, evidence proved that he was intent on enthroning a secessionist regime over an area he termed Biafra.
Parts of the South-Eastern had been hit by instability for years because of the conflict between the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which Ekpa claimed was it’s authentic leader and security forces, even though the group has consistently distanced itself from the Finnish convict.
It is unclear whether Ekpa, who was also convicted of aggravated tax fraud, will appeal against the ruling. But the court ruled that he had engaged in illegal activities between August 2021 and November 2024, and had also used social media to incite the public to commit crimes in Nigeria.
Ekpa, who had previously said that he led a faction within IPOB, was arrested at his home in Finland in February 2023.
In 2022, an investigation had identified him as one of the “media warriors” of the Biafra movement using social media to call for violence. He reportedly used the military wing of IPOB, called Eastern Security Network (ESN) to unleash terror and mayhem in the region.
IPOB as we all know remains banned in Nigeria, and its leader, Nnamdi Kanu is being tried on terrorism charges. But Kanu has denies any wrongdoing and has challenged his incarceration.
The group was formed in 2012 as a peaceful movement, but launched an armed wing in south-eastern Nigeria in 2020, saying it was doing so to defend the Igbo ethnic group.
However, its critics say it has unleashed violence that has caused huge suffering. Economic activities are at its lowest web as a result of near total insecurity in the South East. The Monday sit at home which paralyzes movement has led to the loss of huge fortune and lost of lives.
The Federal Government, through the Attorney General of the Federation and the Foreign Affairs ministry, had earlier called for Ekpa’s extradition, from Finland to face Justice back home, a move which perhaps made the Finnish government to take quick action.
It must be noted that the campaign for the establishment of Biafra as a sovereign country started in the 1960s, after the late Dim Emeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, then an army officer declared the birth of Biafra following the killing of Igbos in parts of Northern Nigeria.
The declaration of Biafra culminated in a bloody civil war that lasted for about three years, from 1967 to 1970 when a ceasefire was signed. The progrom led to more than a million deaths from fighting, starvation and a lack of medical care.
After the cessation of hostilities, the Nigerian Government, led by the then military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon declared the outcome of the war as “No Victor, No Vanquished”, meaning that no side won the battle.
Gowon thereafter announced a massive agenda of rebuilding the country, which was code named the “3Rs”, that stood for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation, an agenda expected to lead to reintegration of Nigeria as one, indivisible entity.
However, it would seem as though nothing has changed since the end of the civil war. The Southerner East seems to have suffered the most neglect and the region treated as a conquered territory by successive governments, from Gowon till date.
For instance, the South East has five states, instead of the six states in the other five regions in the country. It suffers from huge infrastructure deficit and has the worst form of roads. The exclusion of Igbos from the power mic suggests a deliberate policy of shut out the people from strategic public offices.
Notwithstanding the explanation that the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi lost the elections through the ballot box, many Igbos perceived that electoral exercise as contrived. There’s a preponderance of opinions that the Igbos are short changed. Why can’t an Igbo man beo President of Nigeria, many wonder.
More importantly, we are daily confronted by mob lynching of Igbos in part’s of the country. Anytime you hear talks of no man’s land, it is a direct reference to a stereotype which accuses the Igbos of wanting to take over the land of other regions. Why are other ethnic groups not similarly accused?
Many people have assorted that the reluctance by successive Federal Governments to restructure the country border on deep rooted Igbophobia. There seems to be palpable fear that restructuring the country would give them access to power, apart from unleashing the economic potential of the South East.
So, while we rejoice that justice has been served in the case of Simon Ekpa, with the self acclaimed firmly in jail, we must do well to address the issues that promote separatist thoughts. We must address the inequalities that engender feelings of Igbos versus the rest of other parts of Nigeria.
Until we are ready to enthroned fiscal federalism and other aspects that ensure genuine restructuring, we may not see any end to emergence of separatist groupd in the South East. Once, it was declaration of Independence by Okwu. Then there was Goddy Uwazuruike’s Movement for the Actualisation of Biafra (MASSOB). Now,very have IPOB. It’s an endless trajectory that we all have to contend with.
Yes, the Nigerian project remains work in progress. But we must be seen to be moving in the right direction. Therefore, we must avoid actions that atrophies or stagnates our collective potentials. Meritocracy, inclusion and social justice are the vital ingredients we need to unleash ourselves as true Giants of Africa.
*The Southerner
Deja’vu
Thursday, September 11, 2025
