The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has distanced itself from the recent conviction of Simon Ekpa in Finland.
The group insisted that his activities have no connection with the separatist movement.
In a statement issued on Monday, IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, accused the Nigerian government of attempting to use Ekpa’s conviction as a smear campaign against its detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
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“The world must know that the question of Simon Ekpa’s non-membership in IPOB is already judicially settled in Finland,” the statement read.
IPOB maintained that the group and Ekpa had testified under oath before a Finnish court, where it was established that he had no ties to the movement.
According to IPOB, “Ekpa himself under oath described himself merely as a ‘content creator,’ admitted he disowned IPOB, and boasted that he would destroy IPOB.”
The group further accused him of creating parallel structures such as the “Biafra Government in Exile,” which they condemned as a direct contradiction of IPOB’s ideology.
The separatist group alleged that the Federal Government was deliberately using Ekpa’s conviction to influence the upcoming ruling on Kanu’s no-case submission, now adjourned until October 10, 2025.
IPOB described the delay as “judicial hostage-taking” and “a weaponization of the courts to sustain persecution.”
Appealing to foreign governments and institutions, IPOB urged the European Union, United States, United Kingdom, United Nations, and Finland to intervene.
It warned that Nigeria’s global image risked further damage if the government continued to misrepresent facts.
“Simon Ekpa’s conviction is his burden and his alone. IPOB will never carry it,” the group declared.
