IPOB and Simon Ekpa’s cowardice, By Chima Paul
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In December 2022, Nigerians all over the world signed a petition appealing to the Finnish government, the Nigerian government, and the European Union to arrest and prosecute one Simon Ekpa, a Finnish-Nigerian chiefly known for spreading fake news and inciting violence in the southeastern part of Nigeria.
Nigerians who signed the petition were responding to a five-day sit-at-home order declared by Ekpa which led to the killing of many residents in the South-East.
Ekpa, a self-acclaimed disciple of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, in a viral video, ordered the people of the South-East to observe a sit-at-home from December 9-14, 2022. The order was marked by bloodshed and the destruction of lives and property in the region by its enforcers.
The petition read in part: “Simon is a separatist fighting for state secession but has never been brave enough to come home and lead the war from the front in Nigeria. He is rather igniting and fueling terror on his ethnic group who decline his call for secession. Simon’s action is stirring up bloodbath – a genocide in the region, and innocent women, children, the aged and youths are the victims dying every day.”
Ekpa, who rose to prominence when he claimed to have taken over the affairs of IPOB after the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, has also been issuing threats that elections would not hold in the South-East unless Kanu is released. Against this backdrop, the Council of Elders of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, led by Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, met recently and deliberated on some strategies to ensure that elections hold peacefully in the region.
A two-faced agent provocateur and hypocrite such as Ekpa should ordinarily not make it to the headlines of mainstream reportage. However, as rightly mentioned in the petition against him, his cowardice, disguised as brave activism, has cost too many lives and property. The fact that Ekpa has people on the ground who are willing to enforce his treacherous declarations has made his and his enforcers’ activities a threat to national security.
By fighting an illegal course through illegal means, it is incumbent on the well-meaning people of the South-East to prove to Ekpa that he is in double jeopardy because, in September 2017, the Federal Government declared the activities of IPOB as illegal and acts of terrorism. The Terrorism (Prevention) (Proscription Order) Notice, 2017, proscribed the existence of IPOB and restrained individuals or groups of persons from participating in any activity relating to or involving IPOB.
Also, the proscription order gave a stern warning against any involvement in the activities of the group, stating that violators would be prosecuted: “Consequently, the General Public is hereby warned that any person or group of persons participating in any manner whatsoever in any form of activities involving or concerning the prosecution of the collective intentions or otherwise of the said group will be violating the provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011 (as amended) and liable to prosecution.”
Kanu was arrested on treason charges in October 2015 and was arraigned and subsequently granted bail by a federal high court in Abuja in 2017. In 2019, the court revoked Kanu’s bail and ordered his re-arrest, after his continued absence from court. However, in his absence, individuals such as Ekpa and some groups in the South-East and some parts of the South-South of Nigeria continue to participate in activities under the auspices of IPOB.
On June 19, 2021, leaders of the South-East, comprising governors, traditional rulers, religious leaders and politicians, rose from a meeting to disown and renounce IPOB. The meeting in Enugu was the first time leaders of the geo-political zone unanimously washed their hands off IPOB and other pro-Biafra agitators, affirming that such groups did not speak for the region.
Ironically, even IPOB itself has, on many occasions, denounced Ekpa and his activities.
In May 2022, the family of Kanu issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Finland-based impostor to cease using the name or the image of Kanu in his broadcasts or fundraising.
Shortly after the December violent sit-at-home declared by Ekpa, Kanu’s brother, Emmanuel said, “My brother (Nnamdi Kanu) told me clearly that he did not authorise any person or group to order for sit-at-home. So, why do that? Who is he doing it to impress? It beats my imagination that somebody who claims to be fighting for the cause of Ndigbo will at the same time be engaging in activities injurious to the same people.”
However, the fear that Ekpa could use his present momentum to float an offshoot of the proscribed IPOB is profound. Recall that IPOB itself was an offshoot or splitter group of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), which Kanu was director of its London-based propaganda radio, Radio Biafra. Kanu parted company with the group to form IPOB in 2014. Already, we are hearing about a breakaway Biafra group, IPOB-Auto Pilot, said to be spearheaded by Ekpa.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo has said that no threat by any group or individual in the South-East will stop the presidential election scheduled for February 25. The group’s Secretary-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, also warned anti-democratic forces such as the one led by Ekpa to desist from their evil plot. Isiguzoro declared Ekpa as the number one enemy of the Igbo nation who is hiding in a foreign country while taking steps to destabilise the region.
Indeed, there have been attempts to disrupt the electoral process in the region, with coordinated attacks on security and correctional formations, as well as INEC’s offices across the South-East. Many say IPOB and its Eastern Security Network paramilitary wing cannot exonerate themselves from these attacks, which have led to massive military operations in the region.
In May 2022, President Muhammadu Buhari said the military operations, which led to the arrest of a large number of suspects, would be sustained. Five months later, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Faruk Yahaya, flagged off Operation Golden Dawn, aimed at further tackling security challenges in the region ahead of the 2023 general elections. Therefore, as a way of complementing efforts at restoring lasting peace, politicians in the regions should mobilise support for groups such as Ohanaeze and promote dialogue as means of addressing legitimate grievances of any individual or group in accordance with the 1999 Constitution.
By Chima Paul writes from Enugu
