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An official of the Department of State Services (DSS) has confirmed that plans are afoot to extradite Simon Ekpa, the self-proclaimed leader of the proscribed group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to face trial for supporting Nnamdi Kanu.
The DSS official, simply identified as 'AAA,' disclosed this while standing as a Federal Government witness in Kanu’s ongoing trial, who is facing a treasonable felony charge.
The witness was part of the team that effected the IPOB leader's arrest on October 15, 2015, at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Lagos.
Under cross-examination by the defendant’s counsel, Kanu Agabi, the DSS official said that though he's unaware of other Kanu's supporters facing trial for agitating for Biafra secession, Ekpa has been arrested and is currently facing extradition for supporting the movement and “inciting violence”.
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The witness also confirmed that no violent weapon was found in Kanu's custody at the time of his arrest in 2015, adding that the lady found in the defendant's hotel room wasn't believed to be a suspect after she proved they met on social media.
“The lady was adjudged to be innocent,” AAA told the court.
The DSS official noted that he analysed Kanu's phone but didn't submit his findings as evidence in court because “it was considered immaterial to the case.”
The witness also admitted that the statement extracted from the IPOB leader was done without the presence of his legal representatives.
At the same time, he confessed to not knowing any other person being tried by the Federal Government on account of agitation for a Biafran nation.
The court has adjourned the case to May 6, 7 and 8, 2025, for further hearing.
In November 2024, the Finnish authorities arrested Ekpa alongside four associates on charges linked to terrorism.
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The Päijät-Häme district court in Finland subsequently remanded him in detention pending the outcome of the investigation for public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent.
The authorities suspect that Ekpa's activities, carried out primarily through social media, have fueled violence in South-Eastern Nigeria, targeting both civilians and authorities.