The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has distanced itself from the recent conviction of Simon Ekpa in Finland, stressing that his activities have no connection with the group.
The group accused the Nigerian government of launching a smear campaign to discredit its detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB described the reported attempt to link Ekpa to its movement as “a brazen fraud against truth and justice.”
The group said, “The world must know that the question of Simon Ekpa’s non-membership in IPOB is already judicially settled in Finland,” the group declared.
According to the group, it had, alongside Simon Ekpa, testified in a Finnish court where it was made clear that he had no ties to the organization.
“IPOB under oath in a Finnish court testified that Simon Ekpa has never held any position in IPOB or ESN. Ekpa himself under oath described himself merely as a ‘content creator,’ admitted he disowned IPOB, and boasted that he would destroy IPOB,” the statement said.
The group further accused Ekpa of creating parallel structures in contradiction to IPOB’s ideology.
“Ekpa created his own contraptions: ‘Biafra Government in Exile,’ ‘Biafra Liberation Army (BLA),’ and ‘Biafra Defence Force, BDF,’ all of which, IPOB repudiated and condemned,” it added.
It insisted that any attempt to associate Ekpa’s conviction with IPOB amounted to “deliberate misinformation — a calculated lie, knowingly repeated to deceive.”
IPOB alleged that the Federal Government was deliberately using Ekpa’s case as a diversionary tactic to influence judicial proceedings in the trial of Nnamdi Kanu, whose no-case submission ruling before Justice James Omotosho has been adjourned until October 10, 2025.
“The Nigerian state is orchestrating this smear campaign as a diversionary tactic, timed precisely to contaminate the upcoming ruling on Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s no-case submission.
“Why the unexplained delay in delivering judgment when the Federal Government has failed to establish even a prima facie case?
“The answer is obvious: they are buying time to inject irrelevant and extraneous narratives like Ekpa’s conviction, in a bid to corrupt judicial reasoning,” IPOB alleged.
It described the adjournment as “judicial hostage-taking, a weaponization of the courts to sustain persecution.”
The group also appealed to foreign governments and institutions, including the European Union, Finland, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations, to intervene in the matter.
“The Finnish court exonerated IPOB of any link to Simon Ekpa. We demand clarity be issued to Nigeria to stop this malicious misuse,” the group urged.
Addressing Western nations, IPOB said: “You have both condemned Nigeria’s extraordinary rendition of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from Kenya. If you are true to your principles, you must also condemn this latest charade — an attempt to derail a fair trial by importing lies.”
It further called on the United Nations to act, warning that “the Nigerian government is persecuting a self-determination leader in violation of the UN Charter. Silence in the face of a weaponized judiciary is complicity.”
Reaffirming its position, IPOB insisted that Simon Ekpa must bear his own burden.
“Simon Ekpa’s conviction is his burden and his alone. IPOB will never carry it. IPOB is a peaceful movement registered under international law, committed to lawful self-determination.
“This case in Abuja is not about IPOB’s legitimacy; it is about the persecution of one man — Mazi Nnamdi Kanu — for daring to demand freedom through peaceful means,” the group declared.
IPOB said Nigeria risked further damage to its image if it continued to misrepresent facts.
“Nigeria stands today at the bar of world opinion. Persist in this fraud, and you confirm yourselves a rogue state where the rule of law is dead,” it added.
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