News reaching our desk moments ago indicates that the de facto leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Simon Ekpa has been arrested and taken into custody by interpol/Finland Police just few days to the much anticipated Presidential election in Nigeria.
Recall that Simon Ekpa has consistently maintained that election will not hold in the South Eastern Part of Nigeria as part of his agitation for secession of the region from the country. He has vowed that there won’t be election in Igbo land, precisely in the five South East states in the region, and as such, he has gone ahead to declare so called sit at home starting today, February 23, 2023, which will continue even up to the day of the Presidential election in Nigeria. Though people in the region have ignored the sit at home order as they went about their lawful businesses.
Simon Ekpa was reportedly arrested by plain clothes security agents as he was getting ready for an interview. But it is not yet clear if his arrest was on the request of the Nigerian government or from his people of the south eastern region who have increasingly become uncomfortable with the way he has been going about his Biafra agitation, especially since IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was allegedly abducted in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria to continue his trial at the Federal High Court Abuja under Justice Binta Nyako.
Simon Ekpa is viewed by many people from Igbo land as playing a spoiler game for them at a time they have the brightest opportunity to occupy the number one political seat in the country, through the candidacy of the Labour Party Presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi. On the other hand, it is not equally clear how long Simon Ekpa will be held by the security agents, but one thing is certain, that his arrest will definitely be in connection with his consistent threats to disrupt the general elections in Nigeria, most especially in the Igbo land.
(Source: Peoples Gazette)
