A neighbor of Simon Ekpa, the Nigerian man living in Lahti who has been leading an armed insurgency in his home country, has confirmed his arrest to Yle.
The neighbor, who has chosen to remain anonymous, witnessed the police operation and saw several cars in the yard during the arrest.
The neighbor describes Ekpa as an ordinary neighbor, but notes that there have been occasional noises coming from his apartment at night. The neighbor also mentions that there have been speeches held at Ekpa’s apartment, and on one occasion, a man came to his door during a slightly bigger disturbance. However, the neighbor says that a bigger conflict was avoided.
Despite being surprised at the speed of the arrest, the neighbor says that he was not completely caught off guard, as he had been following the news reports and knew to expect it.
Simon Ekpa, who claims to lead IPOB, a group that has been declared a terrorist organization in Nigeria, has been living in Finland for a long time and has been involved in local politics in Lahti. Ekpa has been a member of the coalition and serves as a member of the public transport board of the Lahti region.
In an interview with Yle, Ekpa claimed that he leads a rebel group from Lahti that wants to establish an independent state of Biafra in the southeastern part of Nigeria. He has also imposed a curfew on certain days of the week for residents of five states in South-Eastern Nigeria and has accepted the use of violence against Nigerian government forces.
In December 2022, Ekpa announced a five-day stay-at-home order for more than 20 million Nigerians from Lahti. Yle’s visit to the area showed that Ekpa and his troops are feared and his orders are followed.
The Nigerian government has repeatedly asked Finland to intervene in Ekpa’s activities and prevent him from leading the armed rebellion from Lahti. Several Nigerians living in Finland have also demanded that Finland intervene in Ekpa’s activities.
The police have confirmed that they had an operation in Lahti today in which one man was arrested, but at this stage, his name or the reason for the arrest cannot be made public. The police have declined to comment further on the matter, stating that the measures related to the operation are still ongoing.
