The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has distanced itself from the recent conviction of Simon Ekpa in Finland, declaring that his activities have no link to the movement.
In a statement issued by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB described attempts to associate Ekpa with the group as “a brazen fraud against truth and justice,” accusing the Nigerian government of orchestrating a smear campaign to undermine its detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
According to IPOB, both the group and Ekpa had testified in a Finnish court, where it was confirmed that he has never been a member of IPOB or its security wing, ESN. IPOB said Ekpa himself admitted under oath that he was only a “content creator” who had disowned the movement and even boasted about plans to destroy it.
The group further condemned Ekpa’s creation of what it called parallel structures, including the so-called “Biafra Government in Exile,” the “Biafra Liberation Army (BLA),” and the “Biafra Defence Force (BDF),” all of which IPOB rejected.
IPOB maintained that linking Ekpa’s conviction to its organisation was “deliberate misinformation” intended to sway judicial proceedings in Nnamdi Kanu’s ongoing trial. The group accused the Federal Government of using Ekpa’s case as a distraction, particularly with Justice James Omotosho’s ruling on Kanu’s no-case submission now adjourned until October 10, 2025.
“The Nigerian state is orchestrating this smear campaign as a diversionary tactic, timed precisely to contaminate the upcoming ruling,” IPOB alleged.
It described the adjournment as “judicial hostage-taking” and appealed to the European Union, the United Nations, Finland, the US, and the UK to intervene, warning that Nigeria was weaponizing the courts against a self-determination leader.
Reaffirming its position, IPOB said:
“Simon Ekpa’s conviction is his burden and his alone. IPOB will never carry it. IPOB remains a peaceful movement registered under international law, committed to lawful self-determination. This case in Abuja is not about IPOB’s legitimacy, but about the persecution of one man — Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”
The group warned that Nigeria risks further damaging its global image if it continues what it described as a campaign of falsehood.
