Reports claiming the Nigerian government has finalised the extradition of Simon Ekpa, a Finland-based pro-Biafra secessionist, are circulating online. These reports relied on what Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), said on Wednesday. But a closer look at the statements made by Musa, suggests otherwise.
In a Wednesday interview with Channels Television on Nigeria’s security outlook for 2024 and 2025, Musa was asked about Ekpa’s case. His response did not explicitly confirm that Ekpa’s extradition process had been completed.
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Here was what Musa said:
“I am sure he is cooling off somewhere, and legal action is going to be taken accordingly. I don’t want to say much about that, but I am happy that he has been arrested. The Federal Government of Nigeria has actually forwarded most of the requirements through the Finnish Government, and I am sure the right thing will be done.”
This cautious statement contrasts with the reports suggesting that an extradition process has been sealed.
On Friday for instance, Nigeria Stories, a microblog on X, reported this.
Similarly blogs like Nairaland and Gistmania have published claims suggesting that Ekpa’s extradition process has been completed. TheCable also published a report on Wednesday that the Federal Government has provided almost all documents to the Finnish Government on Ekpa’s extradition.
However, there’s no evidence to support these claims. While Musa mentioned legal processes and requirements sent to Finland, he did not state that the extradition had been finalised.
Ekpa, known for his controversial pro-Biafra agitation and terrorist propaganda, was arrested by Finnish law enforcement on November 21. A district court in Päijät-Häme later ordered his detention for “spreading terrorist propaganda on social media”.
FIJ understands that the Finnish government would only grant extradition requests to countries with which it has extradition treaties. As of the time of this report, however, it has none with Nigeria.
The decision to release Ekpa is discretionary and subject to the nature of the dialogue between the Federal Government and the Finnish Government.
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