Ohanaeze Rejects Simon Ekpa, Asks FG to Go After Him 

Ohanaeze requests that the Federal Government communicate with the Finnish Government regarding the actions of Ekpa and his followers in the Southeast.

The foremost Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has pushed the Federal Government to establish diplomatic relations with Finland in order to apprehend Biafra agitator Simon Ekpa, who resides there.

General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defense Staff, charged Ekpa on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, in a House of Representatives appearance that Ekpa was undermining the work of security agents in the Southeast.

In regards to Ekpa’s operations in Nigeria, Musa urged the federal government to communicate with the Finnish government.

In response, Ohanaeze Secretary General Ambassador Okey Emuchay stated that Ohanaeze supported the idea put forth by the Chief of Defense Staff in an interview with The Punch.

Everyone in the South-East is concerned about Ekpa’s activities in the area, according to Emuchay, who also stated that the leadership of the Igbo socio-cultural organization had already discussed the proposal.

“This morning, the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and myself, we have discussed it, and then, as you know, everybody—all the stakeholders in the South East, the governors, President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the leadership of Ohanaeze, everybody is concerned about the security situation in the South-East,” the Ohanaeze leader said.

“So, the statement yesterday at the hearing of the House of Representatives tells the story as to what we have been saying all along. It is a matter for the Federal Government of Nigeria to handle, as Ohanaeze or the states in the South-East are subordinate to the Federal Government.”

Corroborating Musa’s submission, Emuchay advised the Federal Government to activate its diplomatic ties with the Government of Finland to address the activities of Ekpa and his disciples in the South-East.

“The Federal Government has a diplomatic relationship with Finland, they (Finland) have an embassy in Abuja, and that diplomatic channel is what Ohanaeze is asking to be activated. Ohanaeze is very pleased that the Chief of Defence Staff made a public pronouncement on the matter of Simon Ekpa and we are happy with it,” he said.

Regarding Nnamdi Kanu, Emuchay stated that Ohanaeze will not give up on its demands for his release and that both the organization and the governors of the South-East share the same opinion.

“Ohanaeze and the South-East governors are on the same page on the matter of Nnamdi Kanu. I am not in a position now to say more but Ohanaeze with the South-East governors, the stakeholders in the South-East, the leadership of Ohanaeze, we are all on the same page on the release of Nnamdi Kanu,” the Ohanaeze leader maintained.