Presidential Muhammadu Buhari’s Special Assistant on Digital Communications, Bashir Ahmad, has reacted to the arrest of a self-proclaimed disciple of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Simon Ekpa, in Finland.
The news of Ekpa’s arrest by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) broke the internet on Thursday.
The development has since generated a barrage of reactions on and off social media. Concerned persons expressed hope that the Biafra agitator’s arrest will bring some relief in the Southeast before, during, and after the 2023 general elections.
While reacting to a post confirming Ekpa’s arrest, Bashir wrote: “Very good!”
Also reacting to Ekpa’s arrest is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former presidential aspirant, Adamu Garba.
Garba suggests that Ekpa, who he described as a terrorist, be repatriated to Nigeria like his principal, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and made to face the wrath of the law in the country.
“The next thing to do after terrorist Simon Ekpa’s arrest is to repatriate him to Nigeria so that he can face our local laws,” Garba wrote on the microblogging platform.
Simon Ekpa Arrest: What Buhari Govt Must Do To Factional IPOB Leader – Ohanaeze
Meanwhile, the apex Igbo socio-political organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has called on the Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to ensure the arrested factional leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Simon Ekpa, is extradited to Nigeria.
The group wants the pro-Biafra activist to be sent back to Nigeria to face charges of terrorism and for inciting killings in the South-East.
The Biafran agitator has been instigating violence in the South-Eastern part of the country from Finland. Naija News understands that before Ekpa’s arrest, the Nigerian Government had summoned the Ambassador of Finland to Nigeria, expressing grave concern over his threat to disrupt the elections.
Speaking on Thursday, the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, urged the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that the Biafra agitator is extradited to Nigeria.
He said: “If truly the Finnish authorities arrested Simon Ekpa over international terrorism, then they should extradite him back to Nigeria where his killer gang is killing a lot of people. A lot of killings have been associated with Simon Ekpa in the South East.
“It’s certain that Simon Ekpa is a global terrorist and should be made to face trial for his atrocities. I call on the Federal Government through the Attorney General, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [to] ensure that Ekpa is handed over to the Nigerian authority so he would answer for the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Igbos, and destruction of properties.
“It’s cheering news to the people of the South East and with the arrest of Ekpa, we expect that the violence and insecurity and the killer squad in the South East will no longer have a backbone.
“They should confiscate Ekpa’s account for sponsoring terrorism in the South East. Igbos in Finland have done their best to ensure we nip in the bud [the] killings and violence caused by Ekpa. Ekpa must not be allowed to escape justice, the Finnish authority must not release him. The Federal Government, through the Attorney General, must not allow Ekpa to escape through the Finnish laws.”