From sports talent to secessionist leader – Tori of Simon Ekpa wey im political party for Finland don drop update

Di National Coalition Party (NCP) for Finland don tok say di name of Simon Ekpa no dey included for di kontri election wey go happun in 2025.

Ekpa na Nigeria-Finnish citizen wey police arrest for di kontri last Thursday sake of allegation of terrorism.

Im na leader of di secessionist group wey e call di Biafra Republic Govment in Exile (BRGIE), wey be a breakaway faction of di Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob).

Ipob dey struggle to break di eastern region of Nigeria away to become independent kontri called Biafra.

Ekpa don deny di allegation of terrorism and terrorism financing, but one court for Finland don remand am for prison plus anoda four oda pipo wey police arrest togeda wit am.

Currently, Ekpa dey represent di NCP for Public Transport Board for di Lahti regional wia e dey live, but im party pipo tok say e neva attend meetings for some time.

Timo Elo, di NCP secretary na im confirm to local tori pipo say Ekpa name no follow for di candidates list for di next county and municipal elections wey go happun next year April.

Elo, no gree to tok specifically about Simon Ekpa matter, but e tok say criminal suspicion no mean automatic expulsion from di party.

"Each member dey responsible for dia actions, but sometimes if di offence wey di pesin dey accused of fit damage di public perception or integrity of di party, den na justifiable ground for to dismiss di pesin from di party," e tok.

Anoda leader of di NCP, Pirjo Mäljä, tell tori pipo say dem neva discuss anything recently about Simon Ekpa candidacy for di election, and e fit be say im no longer dey interested.

How Nnamdi Kanu make Ekpa popular

To many wey don dey follow di Biafra secessionist struggle wey Nnamdi Nnamdi Kanu, di leader of di now proscribed Ipob, dey champion, Simon Ekpa na just one of di plenty pipo wey bin dey set up camera and ring light to tok on social media in support of Biafra. But all of dat change on July 8, 2021.

Dat na di day wey Kanu, through im lawyers Ifeanyi Ejiofor and Aloy Ejimakor, bin appoint Ekpa to dey broadcast on Radio Biafra in place of Kanu, afta security pipo bin don arrest and detain am for di custody of di Department of State Services (DSS).

Radio Biafra na di online radio station wey Kanu bin dey use to spread im secessionist message calling for di independence of di Southeastern region of Nigeria.

Di appointment of Ekpa as Nnamdi Kanu direct replacement for Radio Biafra, give am a larger dan life status among di Biafra supporters, and many of dem transfer dia loyalty from Kanu to Ekpa.

Dis development also lead to di eventual splitting of Ipob bicos Ekpa refuse to take orders from any oda leader of di group. Dem later force am out of Ipob and e start im own group in August 2022, wey e later call di Biafra Republic Govment in Exile (BRGIE).

Na dis group, according to posts and comments by Ekpa imsef, dey support di armed wing wey dia name na di Biafra Liberation Army.

Ipob also get dia own armed unit - di Eastern Security Network (ESN) - wey Nnamdi Kanu bin setup bifor im arrest.

Afta di separation, both Ipob and Nnamdi Kanu family warn Ekpa publicly to stop using either Kanu name or im picture for im broadcasts, but e refuse.

From sports talent to secessionist leader

Simon Ekpa bin start out as a talented athlete wey bin represent Nigeria for international competitions.

In 2003, e represent Nigeria for di 2003 Africa U20 Championships, competing for di 100m race, long jump and triple jump wia e win a silver medal.

Na dis talent carry am go Europe, wia tori be say e meet a talent scout for Finland wey convince am to switch allegiance to di kontri.

Ekpa, now a Finland passport holder, compete for di Finnish Indoor Championships in February 2009, and di Helsinki 4 Athletics GP in August of di same year wia e win di 100 metres race wit a personal best of 11.10 seconds.

But a bad knee injury later make am abandon sports.

E settle for Lahti region wia e meet im wife Marianne Säkäjärvi and dem get one son bifor di marriage end.

Im journey to politics for Finland start for 2012 according to wetin e tell tori pipo for one interview for March dis year.

Ekpa bin meet one man Ben Zyskowicz during one municipal election campaign for Lahti market, and na dia discussion make am get interest for politics.

E bin serve as chairman of di playground Board for im Lahti region, and currently e dey serve as di committee chairman of di transportation board.

However, e dey combine dis job wit im self-appointed role of 'Prime Minister' of di so-called Biafra Republic Govment in Exile.

Promotion of violent rhetoric

Nigeria security authorities dey accuse Ekpa of spreading messages wey don lead to di death of plenty civilians and security personnel for Southeast Nigeria.

In June dis year, di Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa bin directly accuse di goment of Finland say na dem "dey give Ekpa all di support to dey do wetin e dey do.

“(Bicos of) di tins wey e dey tok, pipo dey get killed for hia and dem (Finland goment) no dey do anytin. Dis na democracy. If di European Union dey support democracy and dis kain tin dey happun and dem no dey take any action, den dem no mean well for Nigeria,” Musa bin tok.

One BBC investigation published in May 2022, show how gunmen kill one youth leader for Ogidi, a town in Anambra State, afta Simon Ekpa bin take style threaten di man.

Di youth leader, Ogoegbunam Ifeanyi, bin lead protest against di Ipob sit-at-home order, and Ekpa bin cut am warning during im live broadcast on facebook saying "dis no be threat, na just a fact".

Few weeks later, gunmen attack oga Ifeanyi and shoot am die.

Also Ekpa dey known for using im X handle - wia e get more dan 180k followers - to dey claim responsibility and celebrate anytime wey im armed group kill security agents for di Southeast region.

For dis post on X in February 2023, Ekpa tok say Biafra Liberation Army don "neutralise four Nigeria terrorists in uniform" for Ebonyi State. 'Terrorists in uniform' na how im dey refer to Nigeria soldiers.

"We go kontinu to dey hit & neutralise dem until our last day in Nigeria," e write.

Impersonation as a lawyer

For Finland wia e base, Ekpa oda work na to dey offer legal services to immigrants wey dey look for assylum for di kontri.

E set up one law firm called Ekpa & Co Oy in 2015 and according to di company LinkedIn page, dia services inlcude in areas of "criminal cases, family and child rights, litigation, translation services and other legal consultations".

Wetin im clients no know be say Ekpa imsef no get licence to represent anybody for court for Finland.

Instead, na im ex-wife, Marianne Säkäjärvi, wey be di true-true lawyer and na she dey handle most of di cases, according to investigation by local tori pipo for Finland.

Rahman, one Afghanistan immigrant wey tok to di tori pipo tok say wen im bin meet Ekpa, e assure am say e go "take care of things".

"E no at any point say e no be lawyer," e tok.

Di tori tok say Ekpa bin get idea of legal practice wen im dey do internship for im ex-wife Säkäjärvi law office.

Ekpa however show di tori pipo certificate way show say im later complete Master of Laws degree in human rights and human rights jurisprudence for Aberystwyth University in December 2015.

E tok say di degree take am three years to get thru distant learning, though e no qualify am to represent pesin for court as lawyer.

"I dey always explain give pipo say I dey work as a legal advisor, but wen tins no go well, dem go vex and dem go start dey spread rumors like this," Ekpa tok for di report.

Ekpa political party for Finland react

Ekpa na member of di National Coalition Party (NCP) wey be di ruling political party for Finland.

E get position as a representative for di public transport board for di Lahti region wia im dey live.

Local tori pipo tok say di party secretary, Timo Elo, no gree to tok about Ekpa membership of di coalition, but e agree say if a party member dey guilty of a terrorist crime, e fit lead to di expulsion of di member from di party.

About Ekpa position for di Public Transport Board, Elo tok say dat one go dey evaluated locally.

Anoda top member of di NCP, Pirjo Mäljä, say im no fit take any position on di matter for now until di police and judiciary don finish dia work.

E tok say Ekpa still be suspect and e never dey convicted, di investigation and legal process for di matter fit take years.