Igbo leaders have urged the Federal Government to commence the process of extraditing Mr. Simon Ekpa, who is now residing in Finland, for allegedly causing murders and destroying buildings, markets, and government facilities in the South-East while implementing a sit-at-home order.
Interestingly, Kanu’s Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, has cancelled the sit-in since August 2021 and has previously disassociated itself from the weekly Monday exercise.
Nonetheless, people and governments continue to equate IPoB with staying at home.
There is no doubting that there is a significant schism in the secessionist group’s leadership.
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Remember that Kanu, the IPoB’s founder and leader, and his followers have openly declared war on Ekpa in order to seize control of the group.
There have also been allegations that Ekpa and members of his organization are orchestrating the violence in the South-East states.
However, following Kanu’s incarceration in Kenya roughly two years ago, Ekpa refused to heed orders from the IPOB Directorate of State (DOS), which was operating the organisation in Kanu’s absence.
Ekpa maintained that IPOB was on autopilot and not under anyone’s control, and that as a result, he would not submit to DOS.
Kanu’s attempts to cut his wings, even from prison, were reported to have failed.
According to those who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, Ekpa’s repeated sit-at-home command is counter-productive to what Kanu stands for and an attempt to overshadow the IPOB leader.
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The Igbo leaders feel that forcing people to sit at home is acting towards Kanu’s release and is an attempt to overshadow the arrested IPOB leader.
They, however, criticized Kanu’s continued imprisonment in DSS custody, calling it as executive rascality, and urged President Bola Tinubu to unconditionally free the embattled IPOB leader as directed by the courts.
This, they said, would put a stop to the instability and security breaches in the region that Ekpa was allegedly responsible for.
Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, the first civilian governor of Anambra State, stated that the Federal Government should promptly free Kanu in order for peace to rule in the South-East.
If the FG wasn’t enjoying the deaths and insecurity in the South-East, he claims, they might have done anything to curtail Ekpa’s purported activities with his supporters.
“If the government wants to stop the insecurity in South-East, they have every means to stop it.
Again, if Simon Ekpa is not an agent of the FG, they have all it takes to stop him”, Ezeife said.
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“The ultimate goal of solving the problem in the region is to listen to the voice of Igbo elders and stakeholders to release Kanu, and peace will reign.
“We cannot do much in the South-East without Nnamdi Kanu being released. If the government releases him, the whole tension in the region will disappear overnight.
“My advice now is that Tinubu should act immediately by releasing Nnamdi Kanu as ordered by the courts, then we can then know those engaging in criminal activities in the name of fighting for the release of his release”.
Furthermore, the Igboezue International Association Nigeria and the Diaspora, IIAND, in a statement issued through its National President, Chief Pius Okoye, stated that the incessant sit-at-home by Ekpa-led groups – the Auto Pilot and the Biafra Government in Exile – is not only counter-productive to the release of IPoB leader, but also counter-productive and destructive to the South-East economy.
According to the organization, every responsible and loyal son and daughter of Igbo country was perplexed as to why Tinubu had yet to unconditionally release Kanu from detention.
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He said: “We expect that Mazi Ekpa, who claims to be a disciple of Kanu, to also do the same by ensuring that peace reigns in Igbo land while effort is made to release Kanu, but we are surprised that somebody, who claims to be working for Kanu’s release, will be declaring sit-at-home for more than one day for the suffering Igbo people.
“IIAND is simply seeing that action of making people sit at home as working against the release of Mazi Kanu.
“In fact, it is actually an attempt to upstage him. We expect that Ekpa and his group should help ensure security in Igbo land in preparation for the peaceful atmosphere for the release of Kanu, not causing insecurity.
“As a group of elders in South-East Nigeria and the Diaspora, we want President Bola Tinubu to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu for peace in South-East and Nigeria in general.”
In response, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, National President of Ohanaeze Youth Council, OYC, stated that anyone bringing death, insecurity, terror, and economic collapse in the South-East is an arch-enemy of Nnamdi Kanu and the restoration of Biafra.
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He said: “There was a viral video from one of Kanu’s court appearances where he stated that he wants Biafra land to be calm and that he was in detention to save Biafrans not to see the people dying.
“Therefore, anyone that’s doing anything that’s bringing death, insecurity, fear and businesses collapse in the South-East is an arch-enemy of Nnamdi Kanu and the Biafra restoration. Mr. Ekpa’s activities and utterances show him as a core enemy of Nnamdi Kanu and his quest for Biafra liberation.
“Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) stands on the directives of Nnamdi Kanu who appealed for calmness in Biafra land. The FG should know that pro-Biafrans under Nnamdi Kanu are law-abiding and should be law-abiding too by obeying the court of competent jurisdiction that has set Kanu free.
“Holding Nnamdi Kanu in the DSS dungeon up till this moment is an act of executive rascality of former President Mohammed Buhari and Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
“We, therefore, call on the government to adopt political solution as recommended by Prof. George Obiozor, the late President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo World Wide, to tackle the Nnamdi Kanu case.”
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Similarly, the National President of Igbo National Council, INC, Chilos Godsent, said: “South-East governors should demand from the Finland government for the extradition of Simon Ekpa and failure to do that they will place an embargo on Finland and also lead a protest to the country’s embassy.”
Also, the Convener and Executive Director of PADDI Foundation, Mr. Eze Eluchie, asked Ndigbo to ignore Ekpa.
“In the meantime, I will advise that everybody neglects that rascal element. Even the IPOB, has denied him and says they are not part of the Ekpa sit-at-home order”, Eluchie said.
“How possible is it that somebody, who is enjoying himself in faraway Finland, will continue to give orders that are implemented in the South-East?”
Contributing, the Coalition of South-East Youth Leaders, COESYL, Goodluck Ibem, stated that Ekpa was not fighting for the release of Kanu. “Simon Ekpa is not fighting for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, he is fighting for him to remain in detention”, Ibem said.
“The truth is that somebody who claims to be agitating for his people cannot unleash mayhem on them and kill the same people he claims to be defending.”
According to a renowned Twitter influencer known as @General_Oluchi, Nnamdi Kanu and Simon Ekpa have opposing philosophies within IPOB.
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“Nnamdi Kanu wants a referendum and was after marauding armed Fulani herdsmen which led to the creation of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), while Simon Ekpa sponsored attacks against Igbos in the South-East who refused to obey his sit-at-home order”, she wrote.
“Ekpa is not interested in the referendum agenda or calling for MNK release like IPOB expected. Simon has gone rogue.”
She stated that Kanu had told Ekpa and co to stop the sit-at-home order about two years ago, but he refused.
“That message was passed through Nnamdi’s wife who recently visited him in DSS custody months ago, and through his lawyers”, she further wrote.
“Buhari’s government hunted Nnamdi Kanu down twice. At first, he was arrested and imprisoned, then granted bail.
“The second time, they caught him in Kenya and brought him back to Nigeria, but the same government could care less about Simon Ekpa. Why is the FG not looking for Simon Ekpa? What does that tell you?”
Another Igbo leader, who preferred anonymity, accused Ekpa of working with the ruling party to prevent the release of Kanu.
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“It’s that simple and time will tell. Simon Ekpa is a government agent working so hard to destabilize the East so that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will not be released”, he said.
“Kanu was hiding while Ekpa was free and his location is known. Why has this government not contacted the Finnish govt to repatriate or call him to order? Why have they not gone to Finland to arrest him? You have your answer.”
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