James Harrison, Abuja
The Finnish Central Criminal Police, known as KRP, on Thursday morning, picked up Simon EKPA, from his Apartment in Lahti region of Finland.
Notorious leader of the unknown gunmen that has been terrorising the South East of Nigeria was arrested in a sting operation carried out by the police.
A Finland news outlet HS reported that police operatives in the Scandinavian country escorted the Briafran separatist leader out of an apartment building in Lahti.
HS claimed that they met Finland Police, KRP, at the residence of Ekpa when they went there to interview him.
The media outlet said that the police presents its reporters from accessing Ekpu’s apartment now asking them to shift it to a later date.
The local newspaper paper said the police invaded his house and he was invited to explain what his separatism and opposition to the elections is all about.
But he however, didn’t open the door adding that his neighbour who was running late opened the door to the staircase before officers was able to enter his apartment.
According to HS, a Finnish based newspaper, “Simon Ekpa was escorted out of the apartment by plainclothes policemen.
Criminal Inspector, Tommi Reen of the Central Criminal Police, confirmed to HS on the phone that on Thursday, the KRP had a police operation in a private apartment in the center of Lahti in connection with the ongoing preliminary investigation.
According to Reen, the police arrested one man from the apartment. KRP suspects the arrested man of a crime, but cannot comment on the crime at this stage.
Though, Reen did not confirm the man’s identity, but only spoke in general about the operation in the apartment in the center of Lahti. He did not comment further on the matter.
“NIGERIA has asked Finland to intervene in Ekpa’s activities. Last week, the Nigerian foreign minister, Geoffrey Onyeama invited the Finnish ambassador Leena Pylvänäinen to a meeting because of the topic
“Jussi Nummelin, the team leader for Western and Central Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland , told HS a week ago on Thursday, that Finland shares the concern for security, and condemns violence and incitement to it, as well as “actions aimed at preventing people from exercising their democratic rights
“Nummelin emphasized, however, that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not an actual party in the case, but that the police have jurisdiction if it is a question of a suspected crime,” the newspaper said.
EKPA is a self-styled spokesperson of the autopilot version of the Indegenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
He had been pointed out as being the leader of several killings by ‘Unknown Gunmen’, a brutal armed militia, known for the deaths of several people and even public officials in the South-East.
Recall that Ekpa, a self-acclaimed disciple of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), became popular to in 2021, after he was announced as the lead broadcaster of Radio Biafra.
The Finland-based separatist leader, was appointed to replace Kanu at Radio Biafra following the re-arrest of the IPOB leader by the federal government.
He was later dropped by the IPOB after some weeks, following his refusal to sign the rules of engagement of Radio Biafra.
Ekpu’s repeated sit-at-home orders and repeated declarations that elections will not hold in the Soutth East is believed to be partly responsible for the escalating violence and killings in the region.
The heinous activities that occasioned the controversial sit at home on Mondays in the South East declared by the Ekpa faction made Nigerians in the Diaspora to ssigned a petition appealing to the Finnish government, Nigerian Government and the European Union to arrest Ekpa.
