IPOB accuses FG of using Simon Ekpa’s conviction to distract from Nnamdi Kanu’s trial

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused the Nigerian government of exploiting the recent conviction of Finland-based pro-Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, as a “smokescreen campaign” aimed at diverting attention from the ongoing trial of its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

According to IPOB, the government is deliberately highlighting Ekpa’s case in the media to overshadow the legal battle involving Kanu, who has remained in detention despite multiple court rulings in his favor.

Platinumpost  that the Päijät-Häme District Court in Finland sentenced Ekpa to six years in prison after finding him guilty of inciting terrorism in Nigeria.

IPOB maintains that while Ekpa’s conviction is a separate matter, it should not be used as a tool to derail or downplay the pressing issue of Kanu’s release and the broader Biafra struggle.

He was also said to have promoted the independence of the Biafra region through illegal means between 2021 and 2024.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: Finnish Court jails Simon Ekpa for 6 years over terrorism charges

Other accusations included aggravated tax fraud and violations of the Lawyers Act.

Recall that the Nigerian government in a statement issued by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris on Monday, welcomed Ekpa’s conviction.

But reacting to the Nigerian government’s statement on Ekpa’s conviction, IPOB in a statement issued on Monday by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, accused the Nigerian government of attempts to link the group to Ekpa.

“IPOB issues this urgent rebuttal to the false and malicious attempt by the Nigerian government and its compromised media collaborators to link the conviction of one Simon Ekpa in Finland to IPOB’s lawful activities.

“This is a brazen fraud against truth and justice. The world must know that the question of Simon Ekpa’s non-membership in IPOB is already judicially settled in Finland,” Powerful stated.

According to IPOB, records in Finland clearly establish that Ekpa is not a member of the group.

“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,” Powerful said.

The group added that Ekpa created parallel entities such as the “Biafra Government in Exile,” “Biafra Liberation Army (BLA),” and “Biafra Defence Force (BDF),” which IPOB has consistently repudiated.

“Any narrative linking Ekpa’s personal downfall to IPOB is therefore deliberate misinformation, a calculated lie, knowingly repeated to deceive,” IPOB stressed.

The Biafran group alleged that the Nigerian government’s move was a diversionary tactic designed to contaminate judicial proceedings ahead of the October 10 ruling on Kanu’s no-case submission before Justice James Omotosho.

“We ask the world: 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,” Powerful stated.

IPOB described the situation as judicial hostage-taking, a weaponisation of the courts to sustain persecution.

The group said, “This is not justice. It is judicial hostage-taking a weaponization of the courts to sustain persecution.”

IPOB further appealed to the European Union, Finland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the United Nations to intervene and prevent what it called the perversion of justice.

“European Union & Finland: You bear direct responsibility for ensuring your judicial findings are not misrepresented abroad. The Finnish court exonerated IPOB of any link to Simon Ekpa,” IPOB said.

“We demand clarity be issued to Nigeria to stop this malicious misuse.”

To the UK and US, 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.”

The group also urged the United Nations to speak out, warning that silence in the face of weaponised judiciary is complicity.

“The Nigerian government is persecuting a self-determination leader in violation of the UN Charter. IPOB reminds the UN that silence in the face of a weaponised judiciary is complicity,” the group stated.

IPOB reaffirmed its commitment to peaceful self-determination and said the Abuja trial was not about its legitimacy but about the persecution of Kanu.

“Simon Ekpa’s conviction is his burden and his alone. IPOB will never carry it,” the group declared.

“We warn Justice James Omotosho and the Nigerian judiciary: the eyes of the world are upon you.

“On 10 October 2025, the only acceptable outcome is one grounded in law and fact. Any judgment influenced by this manufactured smokescreen will be rejected as null and void by history, by law, and by the international community. 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,” IPOB said.