Speaking on the arrest of Ekpa in a short press statement, the Director of Defence Information, Brig Gen Tukur Gusau, said the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Chris Musa, was pleased with Ekpa’s trial.
Gusau wrote: “CDS is 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.”
It will be recalled that the Finland district court in Lahti had ordered the remand of Simon Ekpa on probable cause for public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent in Nigeria. Ekpa was accused of using social media platforms to spread separatist propaganda linked to IPOB, a group advocating for the secession of southeastern Nigeria.
The court alleged that the offences dated back to August 23, 2021. Finland authorities have also investigated Ekpa in the past for alleged financial crimes, including the collection of funds through questionable means.
The head of the investigation, crime commissioner Otto Hiltunen of the Central Criminal Police, stated, “The police suspect that the man has promoted his efforts from Finland with means that have led to vi3lence against civilians and authorities as well as other crimes in the region of South-Eastern Nigeria. The man has carried out this activity, among other things, on his social media channels.”