The Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE) has announced a two-day lockdown across the South-East region of Nigeria to mark the court appearance of its Prime Minister, Simon Ekpa, in Finland. The lockdown is set for May 29 and 30 to honour Ekpa and highlight the ongoing Biafra struggle.
BRGIE’s Minister of Information, Akparawa Sunny, revealed the lockdown in a statement released yesterday, urging all Biafrans at home and abroad to observe the days as important. Sunny described Ekpa as a hero who has sacrificed for the Biafra cause.
Simon Ekpa has been in custody in Finland since November 2024 after the Finnish government arrested him and four others on terrorism-related charges. Finnish authorities accuse Ekpa of using social media to incite violence in Nigeria’s South-East and of financing terrorism activities.
Ekpa’s trial is scheduled to begin on May 29, and BRGIE is mobilising support for him with the lockdown, which will disrupt normal activities across the region.
The group also warned the Ohanaeze leadership, a prominent South-East socio-cultural organisation, against any actions it described as attempts to sabotage the Biafra independence movement.
In a related matter, BRGIE criticised the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) over the recent sealing of shops at Onitsha Head Bridge Market in Anambra State. The agency allegedly imposed heavy fines ranging from N500,000 to N700,000 on traders as a condition for reopening.
BRGIE called the fines “economic persecution” targeting Biafran traders and demanded an immediate lifting of the market shutdown.
Meanwhile, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) also responded to Ekpa’s upcoming trial, rejecting what it described as foreign interference. IPOB spokesman Emma Powerful criticised the British government and its alleged collaborators for trying to criminalise the Biafra movement by prosecuting Ekpa.
Powerful called the Finnish court date “a mockery” and said it was meant to distract from the ongoing prosecution of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu in Nigeria.
The situation highlights rising tensions in the Biafra struggle, with supporters rallying behind Ekpa as he faces serious legal challenges abroad. It also underscores the persistent clashes between Biafra groups and Nigerian government agencies like NAFDAC, which critics say unfairly target Biafran businesses.
As Ekpa prepares to appear in court, Biafra activists in Nigeria’s South-East and the diaspora are mobilising through the lockdown to press for recognition and justice in their long-standing quest for independence.
