When contacted, an official of the Finnish Embassy in Abuja who craves anonymity confirmed Ekpa’s arrest to The PUNCH on Thursday.
Ekpa, a self-acclaimed disciple of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, had repeatedly ordered the people of the South-East to observe a sit-at-home and asked them to boycott the general election billed for Saturday.
His repeated sit-at-home orders broadcast via social media are believed to be responsible for the orgy of bloodshed and destruction of lives and property in the region by its enforcers.
Here are five things to know about the arrested pro-Biafra agitator
1. Simon Ekpa, a Nigerian-Finnish lawyer, political activist and former athlete, was born on March 21, 1985 in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
2. In 2003, Ekpa won a silver medal for Nigeria in 100 metres in the African Junior Athletics Championships in Cameroon.
3. The arrested pro-Biafra agitator has lived in Lahti, Finland since 2007. He is a member of the National Coalition Party of Finland and was a candidate in the 2022 Finnish county elections.
4. Ekpa gained visibility after he became the lead broadcaster for Radio Biafra after the arrest of the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. He was later relieved of his duty after he was said to have breached the organistaion’s rules.
5. The separatist agitator was known for allegedly inciting violence in South-Eastern Nigeria through his broadcasts and sit-at-home orders.
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