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…Says Finland running racist agenda
From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
A crop of Nigerian youths under the aegis of Peace Group, yesterday, called for the repatriation of a member of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Simon Ekpa, and other IPOB members resident in Finland to the country.
The group which converged at the Embassy of Finland, Asokoro, Abuja, bore placards with inscription such as ‘no more sit-at-home in Southeast,’ ‘Finland, stop sponsoring terrorists in Nigeria,’ ‘Southeast leaders must speak up now.’
Ekpa, a member of IPOB resident in Finland, was arrested on February 25, 2023, for questioning by the Finnish Government and was thereafter released.
The Convener of Peace Group, Akin Okunowo, who spoke with journalists, said they were occupying the embassy until their demands are met.
Okunowo called on Nigerians to join the Peace Group and equally join the demand for Ekpa and his co-travellers to be repatriated to the country.
Okunowo said: “They should repatriate them and they should stop all these racist agenda.
“Stop allowing some Nigerians in your country to be raising weapons and be bringing them home.”
Asked if there were other IPOB members in Finland other than Ekpa, Okunowo said Ekpa is not alone in Finland.
Okunowo who claimed to have the names of other members of IPOB in his possession, however did not name them.
“It is not only Ekpa. There are others. We have a list of them. I cannot be calling all their names. And they are a group, they always have space meetings and we all know all what they are doing.
“Their criminal organisation is not a one-man show. So, they have those they have recruited. They have recruited these criminal elements – thugs, armed robbers, rapists, kidnappers and they are using them.
“What we just want is that we want peace in our country. We should be able to go to any part of the country and feel safe. We should be hearing good news in this country and we want the new government to take action,” Okunowo also said.
Earlier, Okunowo called on the people of the Southeast to rise up against what is happening in their region, saying that they were tired of what is going on.
“What is going on that we see is like a racist agenda. A country cannot harbour some people in their country and they will be raising funds inside that country.
“We are Nigerians and we are tired of what is going on in the Southeast and we have decided to call our fellow Nigerian brothers to arise and save their lives.
“All what is happening is appalling. A country cannot in its relationship with Nigeria, be running a racist agenda. A situation where you gave citizenship to members of this country to become your citizens and you allow them, after they have become your citizens, to be raising funds in your country and be buying weapons and sending them to Nigeria to terrorise Nigerians, to kill Nigerians under the disguise of sit-at-home is enough.
“And we realised that if this thing continues in Igbo land, it will spread to Yoruba land and it will spread to Hausa land and it will eat up this country. Enough is enough! This has to stop,” Okunowo stated.
Speaking on the prosecution of the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, Okunowo said Kanu preached killings and started the goings on in the Southeast.
“Nnamdi Kanu has preached killings; he started all these things. And it is very important that we should not give room to any criminality at all,” Okunowo further said.
Also speaking, one of the protesters, Ndubuisi Nelson, from the Southeast, said they were calling for peace and the unity of the country.
However, efforts to reach the Embassy of Finland, Abuja, for reaction was not successful as at the time of filing this report. An email sent to the Embassy at 5:28pm did not yield the desired result.
