Ekpa’s arrest not solution to insecurity in South-East — Igbo leaders

Igbo elders and leaders have stated that the arrest of the self-acclaimed Prime Minister of Biafra in Finland, Simon Ekpa, over alleged terrorist activities, is not the solution to the insecurity plaguing the Southeast.

They explained that jailing Ekpa would not make any difference except for the release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

According to the elders, what would reduce insecurity in the Southeast is the release of Nnamdi Kanu, bringing Simon Ekpa back to Nigeria, and prosecuting him for all the killings he allegedly masterminded in the region.

On his part, the Catholic Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, Rt. Rev. Jonas Benson Okoye, during the burial of Senator Ifeanyi Ubah in Nnewi, urged the government of Finland to sustain its stronghold on Simon Ekpa, describing him as a rascal.

He wondered why Ekpa, whose village in Ebonyi State does not observe the sit-at-home order on Mondays, has been forcing other parts of Igboland to sit at home.

The cleric further lamented that Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State has been under pressure to ensure that lives and property are protected in the state, urging the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and other senators at the event to make strong representations before the presidency.

He said: “These people say that they want the Biafra Republic, and I wonder why they kill and kidnap their brothers and sisters in the name of the same Biafra.

“You undertake guerrilla warfare, destroy the economy of Igboland. For those in government, I want you all to sustain what is happening in Finland, we like it.

“I want to plead with all the senators here that our governor has suffered and has been under pressure to ensure that the lives and property of the people are secured.”

Ekpa’s arrest not solution to insecurity in South-East — Igbo leaders