The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has denied the claim that Simon Ekpa, the Biafra separatist leader who was nabbed in Finland, is one of its members.
Emma Powerful, spokesman of the group, reacting to the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) pronouncement of Ekpa as a member of IPOB, said it was a wrong assumption, alleging that Ekpa was paid to destabilise the Biafra struggle.
In a statement the IPOB spokesman said that Ekpa had proclaimed himself as Prime Minister of Biafra Government in Exile (BGIE) in his social media broadcasts.
He said: “IPOB has some family units in Finland, and Simon Ekpa is not a registered member of any IPOB unit in Finland or any other IPOB unit globally. IPOB is a peaceful global movement that has never taken to violence or arms struggle in two decades of our self-determination struggle. Even though the various government regimes in Nigeria have provoked us, we have remained resolutely peaceful.
“It was unfortunate that some innocent Biafrans, being passionate for the restoration of the stolen sovereignty of the Biafran Nation, thought that Simon Ekpa was genuinely sympathetic to the Biafra cause. Sadly, they had to learn the hard way that he was a destructive agent paid to infiltrate and destroy the IPOB peaceful movement for Biafra self-determination.
“They have perpetuated various violent acts against the civilian populace of the Eastern Region in the name of Biafra agitation. IPOB family worldwide repudiated that violent system to achieve Biafra freedom and sovereignty severally through our numerous press statements.
“The Simon Ekpa led group has no alliance, affiliation or relationship with IPOB family worldwide. He recruited his criminals’ gangs who have been terrorizing the Biafran territory since 2021.”
“IPOB is a peaceful movement that has adopted civil disobedience to press our demand for referendum as the vehicle to achieve our goal of self-determination. No person, group, or institution should link Simon Ekpa and his group to IPOB except such person, group, institution or government is part of the grand plan and conspiracy to perpetually subjugate the Biafran people to a life of servitude and misery.
“Simon Ekpa has been shielded from arrest and terrorism charges against innocent Biafran civilians by the Nigerian and the Finnish governments’ diplomatic manoeuvring. However, for every crime, there is a day of reckoning. On the purported arrest of Simon Ekpa, all IPOB members, Biafrans and lovers of Biafra freedom should remain calm and focus on our core objective, which is the restoration of the sovereign State of Biafra.”