General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, has vowed that Simon Ekpa, the self-proclaimed Prime Minister of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), must be arrested and prosecuted.
In an interview on Channels Television, Musa criticized Finland for allegedly providing support to Ekpa, allowing him to continue his activities from abroad.
General Musa decried the actions of IPOB in the South-East, highlighting the urgent need for Ekpa’s arrest and prosecution. He urged the Nigerian government to take decisive action, including exploring diplomatic channels to address the issue. “We have repeatedly complained about the issue of Simon Ekpa.
He is in Finland, and the Finnish Government is giving him all the support and he is doing what he is doing,” Musa stated. He emphasized that Ekpa’s inflammatory comments have led to violence and questioned the European Union’s commitment to democracy if they do not act against such activities.
Musa also discussed the military’s deradicalisation initiative for repentant terrorists in the North-East, noting its success. “It is working very well. I was the commander when it started, and we worked together with the state because the state had the authority on the ground,” he explained.
Musa detailed the process of surrender and rehabilitation, noting that not all those who surrendered were combatants, with some being forced into roles such as laborers. The main combatants were kept separate and managed in cooperation with the victims.
The Operation Safe Corridor programme, introduced by former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, continues to be a key part of these efforts to rehabilitate former terrorists and integrate them back into society.
