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The Organisation of Emerging African States has expressed disapproval over the continued detention of Simon Ekpa, the self-proclaimed Prime Minister of Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE), in Finland....READ THE FULL CONTENT FROM THE SOURCE | READ THE FULL CONTENT FROM THE SOURCE
In a statement issued on Thursday, January 23, 2024, OEAS stated that the charges brought against the activist, Ekpa, are ill-motivated and aimed at suppressing his fundamental human rights.
The group noted that Ekpa is being unjustly detained for seeking the right to self-determination and freedom for Biafra.
OEAS also alleged that the Nigerian government is negotiating with Finland to persecute Ekpa, as revealed by Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, who said the government was making plans to extradite him.
The organization has demanded the release of Ekpa, citing the European Convention on Human Rights and internationally recognised treaties.
The statement signed by OEAS legal counsel Jonathan Levy and Secretary General Ebenezer Akwanga also demanded the release of Ayaba Lucas Cho, an Ambazonia agitator, in Norway and other European countries, respectively.
“Norway and Finland should be mindful that the accusers themselves are responsible for the situation in their respective countries, which resulted only after decades of their ongoing oppression of the Biafran and Ambazonian peoples.
“In 2024, Ekpa and Cho expanded upon the 2021 diplomatic agreement between Biafra and Ambazonia to include cooperation for mutual self-defence against human rights abuses.
“This alliance set off shock waves across West Africa. Nigerian and Cameroonian officials began calling for the arrest and extradition of Ekpa and Cho.
“In August 2024, at a meeting of the Nordic countries’ ministers with the Nigerian government and ECOWAS in Abuja, an agreement for increased investment and political cooperation was reached, the price of which was apparently the arrest of Cho and Ekpa.
“Elina Valtonen, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, was quoted in the Nigerian press on August 14, 2024, as promising Ekpa would be soon arrested,” the group claimed.
“OEAS further reminds the governments of Norway and Finland that the applicable provisions of The European Convention on Human Rights, The Treaty on European Union, The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) apply to all EU citizens, including Ekpa and Cho.
“To the extent any evidence is discovered in the course of investigation that indicates war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity committed by the agents and armed forces of Cameroon and Nigeria, he matter should be referred to the International Criminal Court, which has the appropriate level of expertise to evaluate such evidence,” the organisation added.
On November 21, 2024, Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested Ekpa and four others for their alleged involvement in violent attacks on civilians and security agents in southeast Nigeria.…READ THE FULL CONTENT FROM THE SOURCE
