IPOB Lawyer Hails Conviction of Embattled Biafra Separatist Leader, Simon Ekpa

By Olisemeka Obeche

Human rights lawyer and counsel for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has hailed the conviction of pro-Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa by a Finnish District Court.

He described the court ruling as a historic lesson against fraud, deception, and violence disguised as agitation.

In a statement issued on Monday, Ejiofor said the judgment did not come as a surprise, noting that Ekpa’s activities had long been built on “lies, violence, and exploitation.”

“The conviction of Simon Ekpa by a District Court in Finland does not come to me as a surprise,” Ejiofor said.

“I have long understood the weight of his infractions, the inherent weakness of his defence, and the inevitable collapse of the fraudulent empire he built on lies, violence, and exploitation.”

Ejiofor accused Ekpa of usurping the authority of the Directorate of State (DOS) of IPOB, while spreading violence through his so-called Biafra Liberation Army (BLA).

According to him, Ekpa’s actions tarnished the image of IPOB’s global peaceful movement and provided the Nigerian state with excuses to clamp down on innocent agitators.

“He was aided, both openly and discreetly, by individuals and groups whose mission was to derail the genuine struggle for self-determination, sow confusion, and ultimately reduce Ala-Igbo into a theatre of violence, bloodshed, and blackmail,” Ejiofor said.

He noted that Ekpa’s deadly declarations were swallowed hook, line, and sinker by vulnerable and misguided elements.

Ejiofor said, “His so-called “foot soldiers,” whenever apprehended, would never mention his name or his ‘Biafra Liberation Army (BLA)’.

“Instead, they falsely claimed to be IPOB members, thereby tarnishing the image of a peaceful global movement.

“This strategic deception provided the Nigerian state with excuses to brutalise innocent and peaceful agitators, and criminalise a globally recognised peaceful movement.”

The lawyer recalled that he consistently raised his voice against Ekpa’s methods, even at great personal risk.

“Throughout this dangerous era, I raised my voice on every available platform, including mainstream media, warning our people to reject Simon Ekpa and his poisonous preachings.

“I was attacked, vilified, and branded a saboteur simply because I insisted on speaking the truth,” he said.

He accused Ekpa of exploiting gullible followers with false promises of warships, fighter jets, and unrealistic independence dates while enriching himself abroad.

“The irony remains painful: even after each false prophecy failed, some continued to clap for him, pouring in financial contributions, while he lived in comfort abroad and our youths died at home,” he added.

Ejiofor further noted that educated elites who should have known better sometimes defended Ekpa, “or worse, remained silent out of fear or complicity.”

He stressed that Ekpa’s conviction in a jurisdiction that respects the rule of law shows that propaganda and deceit cannot shield criminality.

He said that it is therefore imperative that Nigerians “begin to wear their thinking caps and ask hard questions.”

According to him, no rational mind should have believed Ekpa’s outrageous lies about stationed warships and combat-ready jets in South-East Nigeria.

Ejiofor said Ekpa’s entire project was nothing but an elaborate scam designed to defraud the very people he claimed to liberate.

“Even now, some of his misguided followers are being deceived into believing that his conviction somehow upheld his right to self-determination. That is false.

“The court never upheld any such right because his trial and conviction was never about his purported right to self determination; rather, the court convicted him for fraud, deception, and actions that funded violence against the same people he professed to defend. That is the height of criminality,” Ejiofor stated.

The lawyer lamented that thousands of lives had been wasted as a result of Ekpa’s “poisonous preachings.”

“Many of his misguided followers languish in detention without trial. Many more were killed extrajudicially. Their parents and families remain in pain,” he said.

Ejiofor urged people of the South-East to learn from the episode and embrace peaceful, truth-driven struggle.

“It is time for stock-taking. Time to reject criminality, fraud, and blackmail as tools of agitation. Time to rise above emotional manipulation and stand firmly for truth, justice, and peaceful struggle.

“Ekpa may be convicted today, but the scars of his deceit and the devastation left behind will take years to cleanse from Ala-Igbo,” he said.

He stressed that the future of the region must never again be entrusted to “impostors who exploit the pain of their people for personal gain.”