IPOB and Biafran separatist leader has been arrested in Finland days after threatening to frustrate Nigeria’s general election.
The arrest was confirmed to news men by the finnish Embassy in Nigeria.
Simon Ekpa was taken into custody by police officers shortly before he was due to be interviewed by a filmmaker at his residence in Lahti, southern Finland.
It was not immediately clear why Ekpa was arrested or when he would be released, but reports says the separatist provocateur was likely to face prolonged interrogations, with officers saying they were only doing their job on the matter.
The arrest comes as Ekpa intensifies an attempt to frustrate the Nigerian presidential elections scheduled for February 25.
Mr Ekpa, 37, shot into prominence following the abduction of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu by Nigerian authorities in June 2021 — becoming the de facto leader of the secessionist movement.
He had declared a so-called sit-at-home edict for residents across the country’s South-East to stay away from polling centres or suffer violent consequences.
Nigerian authorities had also urged Finland to intervene and check Ekpa’s inciting broadcasts from the safety of the European country. It was unclear whether the police acted on Nigeria’s request or the widespread online clamour for the separatist agitator’s arrest.
