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An appeal for the release of Simon Ekpa by his men has been rejected by the Finnish government.
This is also as the internal crisis in the Ekpa AutoPilot faction of the Biafran group, Biafran Republic Government In Exile (BRGIE) continues to deepen.
Recall that in November 2024, the controversial pro-Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, was arrested by the Finnish Central Criminal Police.
Mr. Ekpa is the leader of the Autopilot group, a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
IPOB is a proscribed group leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra, which it wants carved out from the South-East and some parts of South-South Nigeria.
The Biafra agitator was arrested alongside four others on suspicion of terrorist activities.
In a letter titled; Response to Appeal for Compassionate Consideration and Support for H.E. Simon Ekpa and the Biafran People; which has been circulating on the social media, the Finland Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the appeal for the release of Mr. Ekpa on compassionate ground, stating that the request cannot be granted as the Finnish democracy is built on the rule of law.
The Finnish government noted that the rule of law and respect for fundamental human rights are key principles enshrined in the Constitution of Finland.
Response by the Finnish government reads in part, “Thank you for your letter dated 11-12-2024. In response, we want to highlight that Finnish democracy is built on the rule of law. The rule of law and respect for fundamental rights are key principles enshrined in the Constitution of Finland. Finland is also committed to these principles as a Member State of the European Union and under its obligations deriving from international treaties.
“In Finland, all public authorities act within the limits set by law, respect democracy and fundamental rights, and are subject to the supervision of the independent and impartial courts of law. The judiciary is independent from the legislature and executive branches and judicial processes are governed by law and guaranteed under the Constitution. In matters of law, the courts are independent. The Ministry of Justice (or other Government entities) does not supervise court decisions nor does it in any manner influence the functioning of the judiciary.”
Criticizing the letter, a member another faction of the autopilot group, Obinna Victor Uzoaganaobi, stated on Facebook that the appeal by Ogechukwu Nkere to Finnish authorities for the release of Mr. Ekpa was ill-considered.
Ogechukwu Nkere is a close ally ofbthe incarcerated Simon Ekpa.
Uzoaganaobi said the action suggested that Ogechukwu Nkere implicitly acknowledged that Simon Ekpa committed a crime that led to his detention, hence the plea for clemency.
“Do some of you truly understand the implications of this man’s tactless move?
“We’ve only seen the response from Finland; no one knows the exact content of his letter that prompted such a reaction from them.
“Isn’t this approach utterly nonsensical? Did Simon commit any crime that would justify pleading for mercy?
“The response from Finnish foreign affairs to Oge Nkere’s letter in this manner implies that Oge Nkere has already conceded that PM Simon Ekpa and the four others detained are guilty of the charges against them, thereby seeking compassion.
“Sunny Akparawa has been vocal about their covert actions. With this kind of headline response from Finland, it’s reasonable to infer that their so-called behind-the-scenes maneuvers have been stalling the ongoing interrogations.
Crisis In Ekpa’s Group
After the arrest of Mr. Ekpa in late 2024, a major crisis broke out between his closest ally, Ogechukwu Nkere, and a self-acclaimed deputy Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government In Exile (BRGIE), Ngọzi Orabueze.
CrimeFacts understands that the crisis began after Orabueze asked Nkere to account for the group’s funds. It was also gathered that the tussle for the group’s leadership structure fueled the crisis since last year.
CrimeFacts reporter observed that, for instance, the self-acclaimed Deputy Prime Minister of BRGIE Ngọzi Orabueze, assumed the leadership of the group. In doing this, she appoints and fires any individual or group found wanting any time and how she wants it.
Orabueze has suspended close allies of Mr Ekpa who criticized her from the group.
Shortly after the group declared its alleged 40 United States Of Biafra, Orabueze seized control of some of the X platform accounts affiliated with the group and renamed them.
Simon Ekpa’s closest allies had accused Ngọzi Orabueze of forming a new cabinet without properly consulting them. They claimed she tried to change the group’s bank account just four days after Mr Ekpa was arrested.
They also accused her of giving out the names of the group’s homeland leaders.
Orabueze blocked the fundraising program by Ekpa’s men and created a new website of her own.
The money from fundraising by BRGIE was meant to fund its armed wing known as the Biafran Liberation Army (BLA) and Biafra Defence Force, which had been attacking and killing operatives of the police and army in Nigeria’s Southeast since 2021.
In December 2024, BRGIE’s conflict resolution committee(CRC) in a letter obtained by CrimeFacts, stated it received a request for an urgent resolution of an issue that emanated from a video made by a cabinet member in a public broadcast stating that BRGIE now has a new leader in the absence of its Prime Minister(Simon Ekpa)
According to the letter, “Orabueze threatened anyone who dares to challenge her ‘appointed leader’. Not only is the behavior inappropriate, but no government also works this way, and the image portrayed of BRGIE is that of an unserious entity. ”
