- Group accuses Finland of complicity
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has accused the self-styled separatist, Simon Ekpa, of playing the script of enemies of Igboland, having allegedly collected money to destabilise the region and undermine its progress.
Ohanaeze accused Finland-based Ekpa of using the pro-Biafra struggle and Nnamdi Kanu’s name to enrich himself at the expense of the lives, property, and wellbeing of Ndigbo.
It wondered why Finland has continued to harbour and allow Ekpa use it as a launch pad for ‘deadly sit-at-home campaigns and destructive incitements’.
A statement yesterday by the National President, Okwu Nnabuike, described Ekpa’s sit-at-home orders as part of a deal to destroy the economy and social life of the Southeast.
It reads: “We want to make it clear to Ndigbo, Nigerians, and the international community that Simon Ekpa is not fighting the cause of Biafra or leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu. On the contrary, he has since sold all of us to our enemies, who are bent on destroying us economically, politically, and socially.
“He is also actively working against Kanu’s release in order to continue making money. He knows that the Federal Government will likely continue to detain Kanu so long as Igboland is restive.
“Also, because the Southeast’s loss is the gain of other parts of the country, it is obvious that Ekpa is being sponsored and encouraged by forces within and outside to destroy and hold the region down. We are already witnessing a high loss of investments and the migration of existing businesses to other parts of Nigeria.”
Ohanaeze also accused the government of Finland of alleged complicity in the bloodletting and havoc in the Southeast.
“We put it to the Government of Finland that it cannot count itself innocent of all the atrocities and the killings by enforcers of Ekpa’s insane sit-at-homes in our otherwise peaceful region.
“We should a society renowned for its value for human life continue to harbour Ekpa, and allow him to freely incite disaster and direct wanton destruction of lives and property in Igboland from their country. Will Finland also treat him with kid gloves should his utterance or action lead to the death of a single Finnish?
“We stand with the Enugu State government’s position that nobody should be allowed to enjoy life and educate his children in another country, while causing deaths and destruction in another part of the world.”