Finland authorities have arrested a popular pro-Biafra separatist agitator, Simon Ekpa.
Mr Ekpa was escorted by the police out of his apartment in Lahti, according to a Finland news outlet, HS.
The newspaper said they had gone to Ekpa’s residence for an interview but to their surprise, the Finland police, KRP, answered when the HS team rang the separatist bell.
The HS said the KRP prevented their team from entering Ekpa’s apartment and said that the interview would be moved “to the future”.
When contacted, an official of the Finnish Embassy in Abuja who craves anonymity confirmed Ekpa’s arrest to The PUNCH on Thursday.
“It is our understanding that he is currently in police custody in Finland,” the official who is not authorised to speak to the press told The PUNCH.
“According to information available to us, the image is verified by Helsingin Sanomat, a Finnish newspaper; in it, Ekpa is seen being escorted out of his home in Lahti by plainclothes Finnish police”, the official volunteered.
Before his eventual arrest on Thursday, Nigerians all over the world have signed a petition appealing to the Finnish government, Nigerian Government and the European Union to arrest Ekpa, the brain behind the sit-at-home order in the South-East.
Akpa is suspected of being the leader of ‘Unknown Gunmen’, a dangerous armed militia responsible for the deaths of several people and even public officials in the South-East.
A self-acclaimed disciple of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Akpa rose to prominence in July 2021 after he was announced as the lead broadcaster of Radio Biafra.
The Finland-based activist was appointed to replace Kanu following the re-arrest of the IPOB leader by the federal government. After some weeks, IPOB announced Ekpa’s disengagement, citing his refusal to sign the rules of engagement of Radio Biafra.
