Simon Ekpa Claims Responsibility for Killing of Four Police Officers, POS Lady in Imo State

Simon Ekpa, a controversial self-acclaimed  Biafra agitator, has claimed responsibility for the killing of four police operatives and a civilian along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway on Monday evening.

The tragic incident occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m., when gunmen launched an attack on police operatives in Owerri. The assailants not only targeted the officers but also killed a woman operating a Point of Sale (PoS) machine in the vicinity.

Simon Ekpa, a Nigerian based in Finland, leads a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) known as Autopilot. He also founded the Biafra Defence Forces and Biafra Liberation Army, the armed militant wings of his faction. Ekpa has been linked to several violent attacks in the region.

Shortly after the attack, Ekpa took to his X (formerly Twitter) handle to announce that his group was responsible for the killings. He posted, “The Biafra Defence Forces Owerri Command has recovered weapons from the terrorists after neutralising them in numbers,” at 8:50 p.m. on Monday, referring to the Nigerian security operatives as “terrorists.”

Ekpa reiterated his demand for the withdrawal of all Nigerian security forces from the South-East, stating that his group would continue their actions until their demands were met. He often uses his X handle to share details of such attacks in Nigeria’s South-East.

Ekpa’s actions are part of a broader strategy to enforce a four-day sit-at-home order across the South-East, which he declared from July 29 to August 2, excluding August 1. This order is intended to paralyze the region and assert the group’s secessionist agenda.

In his X post, Ekpa included a video clip showing rifles and police case files displayed by individuals claiming to be responsible for the attack. The video, however, did not reveal their faces. One speaker, addressing Ekpa, justified the attack by stating that the police were attempting to extort people despite the sit-at-home order.

The Nigerian government and several officials have called for Ekpa’s extradition to face charges related to the escalating violence in the South-East. Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah and the Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, have both criticized the Finnish government for blocking Ekpa’s repatriation. Last year, the Nigerian Senate urged the federal government to collaborate with Finland for Ekpa’s extradition.

In February 2023, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Leena Pylvanainen, to address threats by Ekpa to disrupt the country’s general elections. The Finnish government, while expressing concern, emphasized the need to adhere to Finnish laws in dealing with Ekpa, given his Finnish citizenship.