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The Finnish government has assured Nigeria that the legal proceedings involving Simon Ekpa, a controversial figure in the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, will be concluded soon.
Finland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elina Valtonen, provided this assurance during a press briefing in Abuja, on Tuesday.
Ekpa, who resides in Finland, leads a faction of IPOB known as Autopilot, which has been pushing for the creation of an independent state of Biafra, encompassing Nigeria’s South East and parts of the South-South regions.
He is also alleged to have played a key role in instigating violence in Nigeria, particularly through the enforcement of a controversial sit-at-home order and other attacks targeting security personnel.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, had on Tuesday engaged in high-level discussions with the Foreign Ministers of Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and as well as representatives from Norway and Denmark.
The delegation includes the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Tobias Billström; the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Ms Elina Valtonen; Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland; Ms Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir; the State Secretary for International Development, Norway, Bjørg Sandkjær, and Under Secretary for Foreign Policy, Denmark, Eva Marie Frida Barløse.
Tuggar, after the discussion with the five Nordic delegates, confirmed that the Ekpa issue was a central topic in his discussions with Valtonen.
“It was a priority. There is no way Nigeria would engage with Finland without raising the issue of Simon Ekpa vociferously,” Tuggar said.
She emphasised that the case was being handled through Finland’s judicial system, which operates strictly by the rule of law.
“If you are referring to a specific person operating in Finland in a less than constructive manner, we have discussed this with the Nigerian authorities.
“Both our judicial systems are collaborating on this matter, and we hope it will soon be resolved.
“Both governments have stressed that the case is not a political issue but rather a judicial one, reaffirming their commitment to upholding the law as the proceedings unfold,” Valtonen stated.
The visit of the five Nordic ministers was the first of its kind outside of Europe.