By John Ikani
The Finnish Police have shed light on the circumstances surrounding the arrest of Simon Ekpa, a controversial figure known for advocating violence to disrupt elections in Nigeria’s south-east.
An official statement from the police made available to newsmen by the Finnish embassy in Nigeria, explained that Mr. Ekpa was arrested as part of an investigation by Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation into a suspected money collection offence.
According to the statement, “the National Bureau of Investigation had launched a criminal investigation into a man living in Lahti, who was suspected of committing a money collection offence.
“The suspect, whose description matched details from news reports, was apprehended in Lahti on February 23.”
Although, the statement did not mention Mr. Ekpa by name, it is widely believed that he was the individual in question.
Heritage Times [HT] had reported on Mr. Ekpa’s arrest on Thursday by Finnish police, but he was later released on Thursday night.
According to Tommi Reen, “the Head of Investigation of the National Bureau of Investigation, the police had been investigating the case since 2022, but the actual criminal investigation was only opened at the beginning of February.
“The police suspect that the man living in Lahti has collected money in violation of the Money Collection Act.
Mr. Reen further disclosed that the police had interviewed the suspect, but the criminal investigation was still in its early stages.
He added that the police have also received numerous reports of Mr. Ekpa’s actions on social media and are investigating whether there are reasons to suspect him of other offences.
Mr. Reen confirmed that Mr Ekpa (the suspect) was released on Thursday night, possibly because the investigation was ongoing.
The Nigerian government had requested Mr. Ekpa’s arrest, accusing him of using social media to instigate violence in the South-east that had resulted in the deaths of numerous individuals and the destruction of properties.
Mr. Ekpa, as part of his online campaign, had called for a sit-at-home in the South-east, during the presidential elections, ostensibly to prevent people from participating in the voting process.
The police said they would release more information about the case, as the investigation continued.
