‘Provocative’ — IPOB kicks against trial of Simon Ekpa on Biafra Day

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has condemned the decision by Finnish authorities to schedule the trial of Simon Ekpa on May 30, 2025.

May 30 is a day set aside by IPOB to commemorate the memory of martyrs from the Biafran war.

On May 12, the group announced a “total lockdown” across the south-east and parts of the south-south on May 30 in honour of its fallen heroes.

In a statement on Monday, Emma Powerful, IPOB spokesperson, accused the British Foreign Office of influencing the timing of the trial.

The IPOB’s spokesperson said Ekpa is not a member of their organisation and has been publicly disowned by Nnamdi Kanu.

He said during his court appearance in Finland, Ekpa identified himself as a “content creator” rather than a freedom fighter or a representative of IPOB.

The group warned that any attempt to link Ekpa’s actions to IPOB is fraudulent and malicious.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the decision of the Finnish authorities—undoubtedly influenced by the British Foreign Office—to schedule the trial of Simon Ekpa on May 30th, a sacred day for Biafrans when we honour the memory of our five million martyrs murdered during the genocidal war against our people,” he said.

“This provocative timing is not a coincidence. It is a carefully calculated insult designed to mock our pain, distort our history, and distract from the continued illegal detention and persecution of our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

“Let it be made unequivocally clear: Simon Ekpa is NOT a member of IPOB. He has been publicly disowned by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu himself.

“During his court appearance in Finland, Ekpa described himself as a “content creator”—not a freedom fighter, not a representative of IPOB, and certainly not a defender of the Biafra cause. Any attempt by foreign or Nigerian media to link his actions to IPOB is fraudulent, lazy, and malicious.”

The Finished government had charged Ekpa with “public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent” and “participation in a terrorist group”.