JUST IN: Simon Ekpa Appears On Finland TV, Calls For More Weapons
Simon Ekpa Appears On Finland TV, Calls For More Weapons
Lahti politician Simon Ekpa is leading an armed rebellion in Nigeria, according to Yle . He tells Yle that he leads the IPOB separatist group from Finland, whose goal is to form an independent state of Biafra.
Nigeria is currently preparing for elections to be held next week, in which a new president and parliament are to be elected. According to Yle, Ekpa is calling on Biafrans to boycott the elections on Twitter. The story says that Ekpa has influence in the region, but estimates of the number of gunmen supporting him vary.
According to Yle, millions of people have participated in the demonstrations ordered by Ekpa during the previous year and a half. Ekpa tells Yle that he accepts violence against Nigerian government forces, but opposes violence against civilians. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria has discussed the matter with Finland’s ambassador to Nigeria, Leena Pylvänäinen .
Nigeria demands that Finland stop Ekpa’s operations, ambassador Pylvänäinen tells Yle.
In last year’s regional elections, Ekpa ran for the Päijät-Häme welfare region from the coalition lists, but was not elected.
