Kehinde Fajobi
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has distanced itself from Simon Ekpa’s supporters following their declaration of the United States of Biafra in Finland.
Ekpa, a self-proclaimed leader of the separatist group, was arrested in Finland on November 21 and imprisoned for allegedly inciting terror in Nigeria.
Known for promoting the controversial Monday sit-at-home in the southeast, Ekpa’s actions on social media have been linked to escalating violence in the region.
Following his arrest, some of Ekpa’s supporters gathered in Finland on Friday to announce the creation of the United States of Biafra.
In a statement on Sunday, IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful denounced the declaration, calling it a “scam.”
“The Noble family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) led by the great and indomitable leader, Mazi Nnamdi Okwuchukwu Kanu, wishes to disassociate ourselves from the purported Biafra second declaration by an infamous no-name group,” the statement read.
“The so-called declaration is a scam. There is no room for another Biafra declaration besides the one our eternal leader, Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu, declared in 1967,” Powerful added.
IPOB commended media outlets that ignored the event, describing it as an attempt by infiltrators to mock the Biafra struggle.
Powerful reiterated that IPOB’s goal is to restore the sovereignty of the original Biafra, declared by Ojukwu in 1967, which was later surrendered due to genocide by Nigerian and British forces.
He accused those behind the Finland event of attempting to destabilize the southeast and derail the genuine Biafra movement.
“They failed woefully,” Powerful concluded, urging IPOB members to ignore the “shambolic declaration” and dismiss those involved as “scammed.”