Nigeria hopes for extradition of separatist leader, but analysts are skeptical

ABUJA, NIGERIA — 

Nigerian subject authorities are praising the apprehension of separatist person Simon Ekpa successful Finland connected Thursday. Ekpa was arrested on with 4 others for alleged terror-related activities, including incitement to unit and coercion financing successful Nigeria.

In 2 abstracted statements precocious Thursday, Nigerian defence authorities lauded Ekpa’s apprehension arsenic a measurement toward his extradition to Nigeria and a validation of Nigeria's bilateral relations with the planetary community.

Police successful Finland arrested Ekpa on with 4 others connected Thursday for suspected coercion financing and inciting deadly unit successful Nigeria's southeast portion utilizing societal media.

Finnish constabulary are seeking a tribunal bid to widen their detention.

The apprehension comes 8 months aft Nigerian authorities declared Ekpa a wanted man, and 3 months aft they appealed to a visiting European Union delegation to extradite him.

Beacon Security and Intelligence expert Kabiru Adamu said the authorities’ negotiations paid off.

"When specified a bilateral speech is held astatine that level, past you would've done the documentation that successful astir times would springiness you a bully result,” Adamu said.

Ekpa was a person of the separatist Indigenous People of Biafra, oregon IPOB, a radical that advocates the southeast region’s divided from the remainder of Nigeria but has agelong since politically fragmented.

He roseate to prominence pursuing the apprehension and incarceration of chap IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, by Nigerian authorities successful June 2021.

Using societal media posts and broadcasts, Ekpa has been calling for a “no enactment day” successful Biafra each Monday to request Kanu's merchandise — a measurement that immoderate factions of IPOB person criticized.

Following Ekpa’s arrest, Kanu’s supporters wrong IPOB released a connection disassociating themselves from the Ekpa.

Security expert Ebenezer Oyetakin said Ekpa's extradition can't travel soon enough.

"One would've expected that erstwhile the sovereignty of a federation is being threatened by individuals oregon a radical of individuals, that should beryllium a wake-up telephone to that country's leadership, peculiarly the information leadership,” Oyetakin said. “But we did not prosecute this successful a constructive and strategical diplomatic attack that it should be. But it is amended precocious than never."

The secessionist run successful Nigeria's southeast led to a civilian warfare successful 1967 that killed an estimated 1 cardinal people, mostly from starvation.

In caller years, hundreds of radical including information operatives person been killed determination successful renewed separatist agitation.

Adamu said it won't beryllium casual for Finnish authorities to extradite Ekpa to Nigeria.

"I uncertainty if we person an extradition statement betwixt Nigeria and Finland,” Adamu said. “And the information that helium has dual citizenship — successful my knowing of planetary relations, it volition beryllium adjacent to intolerable for Finland to extradite him knowing that he's apt to beryllium tried for treason and terrorism. These are offenses that could adjacent fetch a decease penalty."

Finland had antecedently investigated Ekpa for alleged fiscal crimes, including receiving wealth done questionable means.

It's unclear if his apprehension volition spark much tensions successful the region, but analysts accidental authorities indispensable beryllium connected the lookout for a imaginable caller Biafra separatist leader.