If you鈥檙e up to date with the news, you may have heard about blamed on the secessionist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The group鈥檚 leader is Nnamdi Kanu who鈥檚 still in the custody of the federal government in spite of a court order demanding his release.听
While Kanu remains imprisoned, a self-acclaimed disciple of his, Simon Ekpa, has taken centre stage. If you鈥檝e been on Twitter and Facebook long enough, you鈥檝e likely seen his name pop up. So, who鈥檚 Simon Ekpa?
From running for Nigeria to fighting against Nigeria
Simon Ekpa was born on March 21, 1985 and the first thing that stands out about him is he once represented Nigeria as an athlete. In fact, he was a silver medallist .
However, Ekpa has gone from flying the Nigerian flag to pushing for the disintegration of the country. When he聽 was nominated for an award by the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC) in 2021, .听
He said, 鈥淚鈥檓 not interested in anything that鈥檒l move Nigeria forward because Nigeria is not structured nor created to move forward, so anybody trying to move Nigeria forward is already a failure.鈥
show Ekpa is a native of Ebonyi State but is now based in Finland. He describes himself on his Twitter account as 鈥渁 human rights activist, CEO, senior legal advisor at Ekpa & Co Oy, legal researcher, author, analyst, Finnish politician, Biafra Spokesperson.鈥澛
The last bit is only partly true. In July 2021, Ekpa was following the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu. This was what shot him to the IPOB limelight. Yet, that same month for refusing to sign the code of conduct governing the operation of the broadcasting station.
What鈥檚 Simon Ekpa currently up to?
Ekpa has been very vocal in his support for the realisation of Biafra. His voice has grown even louder with the 2023 elections looming on the horizon.
He鈥檚 also been at the forefront of the sit-at-home orders which have had very serious socio-economic consequences in the South-East. On December 12, 2022, the Igbo group, Ohanaeze, over the destruction and killings in the region. The IPOB have also distanced themselves from Ekpa but that hasn鈥檛 deterred him from going about his activities.
Online, various groups have petitioned the Finnish government to arrest him for his provocative statements believed to be fueling instability in the region. This hasn鈥檛 escaped Ekpa鈥檚 notice and he鈥檚 mocked those efforts.
How has the government responded?
Curiously, the Nigerian government hasn鈥檛 looked much in Ekpa鈥檚 direction. Maybe because they already have the real IPOB ringleader in custody, or because they see Ekpa as merely a noisemaker. There are other sinister reasons that have been suggested that have to do with the coming elections.
Whether the government will step up on this matter remains to be seen. However, there鈥檚 little doubt that if allowed to continue, the disruption posed by Simon Ekpa might have some impact on voter turnout in the South-East next year.
