The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused President Bola Tinubu’s government of exploiting the conviction of Simon Ekpa in Finland to discredit its detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and undermine the peaceful Biafra self-determination struggle.
IPOB described Ekpa’s emergence as a creation of the Nigerian state and its collaborators, who sought to use his violent rhetoric to tarnish IPOB’s reputation.
The group commended Chief Martin Onovo for publicly rejecting any attempt to link Ekpa’s activities to Kanu or IPOB, describing Ekpa as a “deranged criminal rightly convicted in Finland”.
IPOB emphasized that it is a non-violent self-determination movement legally registered in over 60 countries, with an active presence in more than 100 territories.
Despite the Nigerian government’s label of IPOB as a terrorist organization, no international court, country, or global institution recognizes such designation.
The group urged human rights organizations and democratic governments to intervene in Kanu’s detention, which has lasted over seven years despite being discharged by Nigerian courts.
IPOB accused the Nigerian government of weaponizing Ekpa’s conviction to smear Kanu’s reputation and delegitimize the peaceful Biafra struggle.
However, the group believes this strategy has failed internationally, and justice demands Kanu’s immediate release.
The group warned that continued silence from the international community would embolden further repression, stressing that the world must not stand by while a peaceful leader is persecuted and opportunistic criminals are empowered.
