The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has firmly distanced itself from Simon Ekpa, the Finland-based Biafra agitator recently convicted by a Finnish court. IPOB insists that attempts by the Nigerian government to link its movement to Ekpa amount to deliberate falsehood and a calculated attempt to discredit its detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

 

Ekpa, leader of the self-styled Biafra Republic Government in Exile, was on Monday sentenced to six years in prison by a court in Finland. The Nigerian government, which has long accused him of fueling unrest in the South-East, welcomed the judgment.

 

However, IPOB, in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Comrade Emma Powerful, rejected any connection with Ekpa, describing the allegations as a “brazen fraud against truth and justice.” The group emphasized that both in public declarations and under oath in Finland, it had disowned Ekpa and his activities.

 

“The world must know that the question of Simon Ekpa’s non-membership in IPOB is already judicially settled in Finland,” Powerful stated. “IPOB under oath testified in a Finnish court that Simon Ekpa has never held any position in IPOB or the Eastern Security Network (ESN). In fact, Ekpa himself admitted under oath that he is merely a content creator, openly disowned IPOB, and even boasted that he would destroy the movement.”

 

According to IPOB, Ekpa’s creation of parallel structures—such as the so-called “Biafra Government in Exile,” “Biafra Liberation Army (BLA),” and “Biafra Defence Force (BDF)”—contradicts IPOB’s ideology and has been publicly repudiated by the movement.

 

The group expressed concern that linking its peaceful campaign to Ekpa’s conviction was part of a broader strategy by the Nigerian government to manipulate public opinion ahead of the court ruling on Nnamdi Kanu’s no-case submission. IPOB accused the authorities of deliberately delaying judgment and using Ekpa’s case as a distraction.

 

“This is judicial hostage-taking, a weaponization of the courts to sustain persecution,” the statement alleged. “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.”

 

The group appealed to foreign governments and institutions—including the European Union, Finland, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations—to intervene and demand that Nigeria stop misrepresenting facts. IPOB argued that the Finnish court had already exonerated it of any association with Ekpa, stressing that further attempts to link them together amounted to international misinformation.

 

Addressing Western nations directly, IPOB recalled their condemnation of Nigeria’s extraordinary rendition of Nnamdi Kanu from Kenya in 2021. “If you are true to your principles, you must also condemn this latest charade, which seeks to derail a fair trial by importing lies,” the statement said.

 

Reaffirming its peaceful stance, IPOB declared that 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,” the group maintained.

 

It warned that the international community was closely monitoring developments in Abuja and urged Justice James Omotosho to deliver a ruling on October 10, 2025, based strictly on law and facts. “Any judgment influenced by this manufactured smokescreen will be rejected as null and void by history, by law, and by the international community,” IPOB cautioned.

 

The statement concluded by warning that Nigeria risks further reputational damage if it persists in what IPOB called “fraudulent propaganda.” “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,” the group said.

 

UGAMA TV recalls that IPOB had in the past also disowned the violent Monday sit-at-home order that paralyzed economic activities across the South-East for over two years.