Repatriate Simon Ekpa back home, Uzodimma begs FG

Hope Uzodimma, the governor of Imo State, has reaffirmed the necessity of establishing calm and putting an end to the insurgency in the South-East while supporting calls for the extradition of separatist, Simon Ekpa, who resides in Finland, in response to the unlawful Monday sit-at-home order.

This occurred the day after the Senate urged the Federal Government to work with the Finnish Government to repatriate Ekpa to Nigeria for prosecution and denounced the order being carried out by a faction of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Uzodimma disclosed his position on Friday during a familiarisation visit from Major General Hassan Dada, the new General Officer Commanding 82 Division, Enugu, at the Government House in Owerri, the capital of Imo State.

“What is topmost in our cases is this popular sit-at-home order. There’s one man called Simon Ekpa somewhere in Finland,” he said.

“It is our hope that the security agencies, particularly the military, working with the Federal Government, will be able to either bring Simon Ekpa back to Nigeria to also sit at home with us or be made to face the wrath of the law.”

He discussed the detrimental effects of the unlawful sit-at-home directives and assured the incoming GOC and his staff of his support as well as that of the Imo State populace.

In the same spirit, the governor met with traditional leaders and local leaders at the Traditional Rulers Council’s offices in Owerri and appealed for their help in halting the spread of insecurity and aiding the government and security forces in battling crime.

He advised them to avoid any sit-at-home orders and carry out their legitimate business.

In order to mitigate the negative economic impacts of the loss of fuel subsidies, the governor also took advantage of the opportunity to announce the numerous intervention programmes and incentives the state and federal governments have in place.

A few hours prior to these two crucial meetings, Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, had instructed Simon Ekpa through his counsel to avoid issuing any sit-at-home orders in the South-East under whatever pretence.

In his remarks, Major General Dada gave an assurance that all non-state actors would be pursued and all forms of criminality stamped out in the region forthwith.

He noted that he had received a marching order from the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, to end insecurity in the South-East without further delay.

While emphasising that his team would do all it takes to ensure that peace returns to the South-East, he appealed for the support of the Imo governor and indigenes of the state to achieve this feat.