Nigerian officials say they will seek the extradition of a controversial leader of a banned secessionist movement in Nigeria following his arrest in Finland on terrorism charges.
Simon Ekpa, a Finnish citizen of Nigerian origin, says he leads a faction in exile of the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) – a group that is fighting for a breakaway state in south-eastern Nigeria.
The Nigerian authorities want him to “face justice” in Nigeria, where he is accused of using social media to instigate violence.
Ekpa has previously denied any links to the current killings and violence in Nigeria’s south-east, where a bloody civil war was fought in the late 1960s.
He links himself to Ipob and describes himself as the “prime minister of the Biafra Republic Government-in-Exile”.
However, Ipob, which is banned in Nigeria, has dissociated itself from Ekpa.
In March, the Nigerian army said Ekpa and 96 others were wanted for terrorism, violent extremism and secessionist threats.
Ekpa lives in Lahti city, north of the Finnish capital, Helsinki, where he serves as a local representative for Finland’s conservative National Coalition Party, according to the AFP news agency.
On Thursday, Finnish detectives said he had incited “violence against civilians and public authorities and in other crimes in south-east Nigeria” while in Finland.
“He has carried out this activity by campaigning, for example, on his social media channels,” Otto Hiltunen, the head of Finnish National Bureau of Investigation, said.
Detectives said the investigation involved international co-operation, but they did not clarify if Nigeria was involved.
Four other people were also remanded in custody on suspicion of financing Ekpa’s activities.
It is not clear if the Nigerian authorities have yet made a formal extradition request but several senior officials have made it clear they expect him to be tried in the West African country.
“Thank you Finland. See you soon Prime Minister,” Dada Olusegun, special assistant to President Bola Tinubu, posted on X platform, a mocking reference to Ekpa’s self-awarded title.
The Nigeria army has lauded Ekpa’s arrest, describing it as a “key victory” in the fight against terrorism, local media reported.
Tukur Gusau, an army spokesperson, said army chief Christopher Musa was “happy with his arrest in Finland, with the hope this will be a step towards his extradition to Nigeria so that he will face justice”.
Edward Buba, the director of defence media operations, said: “We are delighted about his arrest and glad that the international community is partnering with Nigeria in our fight against terrorism.”
Nigeria has previously made unsuccessful efforts to extradite Ekpa to face prosecution.
Last February, Finnish authorities arrested Ekpa after he threatened to disrupt Nigeria’s 2023 general election, but he was released after a brief interrogation.
The Nigerian army then accused the Finnish government and the European Union of shielding Ekpa.
But a Finnish envoy said then that although the European country was concerned about Ekpa’s activities, his rights as a Finnish citizen needed to be considered.
Ekpa commands a sizable following in parts of south-eastern Nigeria, which have been affected by instability for years because of the conflict between Ipob and the security forces.
He has repeatedly called for sit-at-home protests against the Nigerian government.
Ekpa came to national prominence after he announced on his Facebook page in 2021 that Ipob leader Nnamdi Kanu had ordered him to assume the role of broadcaster on the group’s radio station, Radio Biafra.
Kanu has been in custody since 2021 when he was arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria for trial.
Ipob was formed in 2012 as a peaceful movement, but launched an armed wing in 2020, saying it was doing so to defend the Igbo ethnic group, though its critics say it has unleashed violence that has caused huge suffering.
A Nigerian court has designated it a “terrorist” organisation.
You may also be interested in:
[Getty Images/BBC]
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica