By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The Nigerian Senate has urged the Federal Government to synergise with Finnish authorities for the extradition of secessionist leader Simon Ekpa, pro-Biafra agitator accused of instigating the Monday sit-at-home protest in Nigeria’s South East region.
The Senate while denouncing the Monday sit-at-home that has further tightened the grip of poverty in the marginalised South East region, resolved to invite the Minister of Foreign Affairs expected to be appointed this week and relevant stakeholders to carry out thorough investigation, as well as bring other sponsors of the act to book.
The enforcement of the Monday protest called by a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a group calling for the creation of independent country from the Nigerian state has repeatedly accused Nigerian authorities of marginalisation.
Five states in South-East states where the protest is enforced are, Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi.
The protest largely seen as unconstitutional, was first declared in 2021 to press home demands for the release of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who is being detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) and prosecuted for terrorism-related charges.
The Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, recently said the sit-at-home is making his state lose over N10 billion every Monday.
Nnamdi Kanu has denied wrongdoing by leading the secessionist group. Ekpa is a self-styled disciple of Kanu.
