Politics
After Simon Ekpa, who’s next?
The question on the lips of people in the South East and beyond is, following the arrest and detention of Simon Ekpa in Finland on terrorism-related charges, will another IPOB leader emerge on the horizon?
It is the submission of many that Ekpa’s emergence was made possible by the arrest and subsequent incarceration of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in Kenya in 2021. Despite a court ruling that discharged and set Kalu free, the Federal Government of Nigeria then led by President Muhammadu Buhari never allowed him to breathe an air of freedom. He was still clamped in detention, prompting a wide range of condemnation from the South East zone.
In the wake of his detention against the court verdict that set him free, IPOB leadership orchestrated what it called sit-at-home on Mondays. That philosophy brought IPOB leaders and security agencies into conflict, resulting in multiple killings and other acts of insecurity and criminal actions. The IPOB leadership on several occasions denied involvement in the massacre, insisting it did not carry arms.
However ,the security agencies claimed IPOB was culpable. In the ensuing crossfire, Ikonso, the IPOB chief security commander, was assassinated. Moments after, Ekpa emerged as IPOB Diaspora Leader, albeit he ran a parallel organization outside the Kalu established order and protocol. This action made the two factions be at each other’s jugular directives at cross purposes.
Before Ekpa’s emergence, Kalu was directly reporting to the MASSOB founder and leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike. At a time, Kalu noted that Uwazuruike’s MASSOB was not vibrant despite losing articulation. It, therefore, used the Radio Biafra handed over to him by Uwazuruike to supervise the commencement of a fresh Biafra propagation, breaking out from his leader, Uwazuruike. Between 2013 and 2015 before his arrest, Kalu’a voice was the most sought-after among the Igbo all over the world. He became an instant hero to his admirers and followers. In the process, Uwazuruike’s stronghold on Biafra matters was shattered. He was delegated to the background while Kalu became the cynosure of all eyes.
Yet it was Uwazuruike who resurrected Biafra propagation and agitation at a time it was considered taboo for anyone to talk about or associated with the name Biafra. Uwazuruike’s MASSOB was what relaunched the Biafra spirit into the consciousness of the young Igbo youths whose knowledge about Biafra and the civil war was grossly limited. Thus, the metamorphosis goes like this: Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu was the Biafra pathfinder; after 28 years of the defeat of Biafra by the federal forces, precisely in 1998, Uwazuruike sauntered into the scene with his non-violence agitation. After about 13 years of struggle, his London Radio Biafra director came up with IPOB on the realization of Biafra. Kalu has been in detention leading to the emergence of Ekpa. And now, Ekpa is in detention also, so who next?
Implications of Ekpa’s arrest
There have been mixed reactions and responses following Mr. Simon Ekpa’s arrest in Finland on November 19, 2024. While many are celebrating it as a good development that will ultimately end insecurity and socioeconomic hardship and improve political engagement in the Southeast, many others insist that the arrest will further worsen the insecurity situation in the region, particularly killings and adoptions.
For almost three years now, Ekpa, a factional leader of the agitation group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), operating from Finland, Europe, is accused of terrorism and instigating violence in South East Nigeria while agitating for Biafra’s independence and calling for the release of IPOB detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
His arrest has caused major concerns in the Igbo nation, with the apex socio cultural body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo commending the Federal Government for a job well done, maintaining that Ekpa’s arrest would improve standard of living in the Igbo country, especially in the area of security.
End to insecurity in South East
In a statement signed by its secretary-general, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and made available to Business Hallmark, Ohanaeze expressed optimism that Ekpa’s arrest could promptly bring to an end all the activities that have put the zone in serious jeopardy for many years now. Ohanaeze frowned at Ekpa’s reported moves to declare a sovereign Biafran nation on December 2, 2024, describing it as “misguided” and capable of sparking off “civil unrest”.
According to Isiguzoro, “His intentions could have sparked uncontrollable civil unrest and perhaps culminated in another Biafran war, a prospect that the Igbo people have conclusively rejected and remain unprepared to engage in. The echoes of the previous conflict, which left indelible scars on our history, stand as a stark reminder of the devastation war brings”.
He added, “The collective silence that now blankets our communities speaks volumes about the anticipation that his detention may sever ties to his alleged sponsorship of terrorism that has spiraled into our region”
The apex Igbo socio-cultural body lauded the Finnish authorities for taking prompt action based on the laws of the land against Ekpa, who is even a Finnish citizen who has been exploiting the opportunities given to him by Finland to incite violence in the South East.
Meanwhile, an erstwhile Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr Dennis Amachree, cautioned that the arrest of the pro-Biafra agitator might not resolve the broader issues surrounding separatist movements in Nigeria.
“Do not deceive yourself that Ekpa’s arrest will end insecurity in South East or bring the agitation for Biafra to a close. No. What will end insecurity in the country is the immediate release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. You see, release Kanu today and insecurity will naturally be a thing of the past.
“The idea of arresting anyone who mentions Biafra or calls for Kanu’s release cannot solve any problem. After Ojukwu’s Biafra, it took almost 40 years before Ralph Uwazuruike came about his MASSOB, a continuation of Biafra’s agitation. Uwazuruike suffered all manner of abuses, mainly arrests and detentions at the hands of security men. After him came Nnamdi Kanu, who has been incarcerated since 2022. And today, it is Semeon Ekpa. Biafra will continue to be alive and discussed if the Nigerian government does not look into the cause of the agitation, which is largely Igbo marginalization”, Okorie Nkalu said.
There is also the dimension of insecurity in the South East going out of hand following the arrest of Ekpa as his followers who seem to be the most critical of the IPOB groups taking to the streets and be calling for his release and demanding the discontinuation of the trial in Finland. If this happens, then, there will be socioeconomic hardships in the South East occasioned by an increased insecurity development.
