“Simon Ekpa’s Conviction Is His Burden, Not Ours” — IPOB

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has disowned any connection to the recent conviction of Simon Ekpa in Finland, insisting that his actions and affiliations remain entirely his personal responsibility.

In a statement, spokesperson Emma Powerful dismissed attempts to link Ekpa to IPOB as “a brazen fraud against truth and justice,” noting that a Finnish court had already clarified the matter. IPOB testified under oath that Ekpa has never held any position within the group or the Eastern Security Network (ESN), while Ekpa himself admitted in court that he was only a “content creator,” disowned IPOB, and even vowed to destroy it.

The group accused Ekpa of creating splinter structures, including the so-called “Biafra Government in Exile,” “Biafra Liberation Army (BLA),” and “Biafra Defence Force (BDF),” all of which IPOB said it repudiates. It said any attempt to link his conviction to IPOB amounts to deliberate misinformation.

IPOB also accused the Nigerian government of using Ekpa’s case as a smear campaign to influence judicial proceedings against its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, describing the delay in Kanu’s case as “judicial hostage-taking” and a tactic to introduce “irrelevant and extraneous narratives.”

The group called on the international community, including the EU, US, UK, UN, and Finland, to intervene and urged clarity to prevent what it described as the “malicious misuse” of Ekpa’s conviction.

“Simon Ekpa’s conviction is his burden and his alone. IPOB will never carry it,” the statement read, reiterating that the movement remains a lawful, peaceful group committed to self-determination. IPOB warned that any judgment against Kanu influenced by false narratives would be rejected by history and the international community.