Fact Check: No, The Finnish Government Didn’t Issue A Statement To Arrest Simon Ekpa

The claim: A statement issued by the Finnish government gives Simon Ekpa 48 hours to comply or be arrested.

Simon Ekpa, a self-proclaimed spokesperson for the supporters of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who resides in Finland, has been issuing threats for some time now. According to Ekpa, the upcoming general election in Nigeria will not be held in the South Eastern region of the country.

With the election just a few days away, there is a growing fear that Simon Ekpa may order thugs to disrupt the proceedings. This situation has led some social media users to claim that the Finnish government has issued a statement to arrest him. The document being circulated online states that Simon Ekpa has 48 hours to comply with the government’s order, or he will be arrested.

“Finland Government Issued statement,”reads in a February 16 Twitter tweet. “gives the said person 48 hours to comply or be arrested.”

Within just a few hours, the post garnered over 130 likes and was viewed more than 6000 times. Similar posts with the same claim on Twitter also accumulated hundreds of additional likes and views.

But the claim that the Finnish government issued a statement to arrest Simon Ekpa is false and unsubstantiated, as there is no evidence to support it.

The document is riddled with grammatical errors, and it is highly unlikely that the Finnish government would release such a statement without proper use of language. Additionally, as Simon is a Finnish citizen, the government would likely address any official communication to him in Finnish, and it would be well-written.

The individual who posted the content on social media could not be contacted for a statement.

However, upon further investigation conducted by MandyNews.com, it has been found that the document is false and has been edited after a forensic image analysis was carried out.

The Viral Claim

“GOVERNMENT

FINNISH GOVERNMENT

Valtioneuvosto

Snellmaninkatu 1 A

Helsinki PO Box 23

Fl-00023 Government, Finland

Tel. +358 295 16001

February 15, 2023

Mr. Simon Ekpa,

Following complaints by Nigerians in Finland and the Nigerian Government about your various pronouncements, using social media outlets, to impose sit-at-homes in Nigeria, you are hereby warned to desist from such nefarious activities which are capable of disturbing the peace and causing bloodshed.

More worrying to the Finnish Government is your imposition of sit-at-homes on days slated for democratic elections in Nigeria. This is an act of international terrorism.

You are hereby directed to call off your planned sit-at-homes by pronouncing through the same media outlets, you used for your illegal pronouncements, a reversal of your sit-at-home orders.

Mr. Simon Ikpa, you have 48 hours to reverse course or you will be arrested and charged with international terrorism.

I have directed my Attorney General, Raija Toiviainen, to ensure that my directive is immediately carried out.

Sanna Mirella Marin

Prime Minister of Finland”

A few errors in the statement:

1. The recipient’s name is spelled incorrectly. It should be “Simon Ekpa” instead of “Simon Ikpa.”
2. The phrase “using social media outlets” could be more specific by stating which social media outlets Mr. Ekpa used.
3. The phrase “an act of international terrorism” is a strong statement and should only be used in the appropriate context. It may not be accurate to describe Mr. Ekpa’s actions as terrorism without more information.
4. The phrase “48 hours to reverse course” could be more specific by stating a specific deadline time and time zone.
5. The statement does not provide any evidence to support the claim that Mr. Ekpa’s actions are “nefarious” or capable of “causing bloodshed.”

Overall, the tone of the statement is confrontational and accusatory, and the language used is not diplomatic or neutral.

The statement contains some language that may be considered inappropriate or problematic, especially in the context of international relations and diplomatic norms. Governments typically communicate in a diplomatic and professional manner, using respectful language even when they are expressing criticism or disagreement. The language used in the statement has confirmed its fake, as it does not conform to standard diplomatic protocols.

Verdict: False

Forensic image analysis of the document has revealed that it has been edited and is not an authentic document issued by the Finnish government. This type of manipulation is not new, and it is often used to create fake news and disinformation campaigns.

Based on the information provided, it appears that the claim circulating on social media about the Finnish government issuing a statement to arrest Simon Ekpa is false and unsubstantiated. There is no evidence to support this claim, and a document that has been circulated online appears to have been doctored. Additionally, the document contains numerous grammatical errors, which suggests that it is not authentic. It is also unlikely that the Finnish government would release an official statement without proper use of language, especially when addressing one of its citizens. The social media user who posted the content could not be contacted for further information. Therefore, it is important to be cautious when consuming and sharing information on social media, and to verify the credibility of sources and claims before accepting them as true.

Following an investigation by Mandy News, it was discovered that the fake document was actually posted online by a faction of the Biafra agitation movement who are in opposition to Simon Ekpa.