By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has dismissed as untrue, the reports making the rounds that the Federal Government has commenced extradition proceedings against Simon Ekpa
Ekpa, a purported ally of Nnamdi Kanu, the incarcerated leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was arrested in Finland months ago for a case bordering on terrorism.
Though in the wake of his arrest, IPOB issued a disclaimer that the group has no connection with Ekpa, this hasn’t significantly changed the public perception about the Nigerian-Finnish man.
However, reacting to the widespread reports aboút the AGF’s position on Ekpa’s trial in a statement on Friday, Fagbemi’s Special Assistant on Communication and Publicity, Kamarudeen Ogundele, asserted that his principal’s comments were distorted.
According to Ogundele, the AGF made the comments at a stakeholders’ engagement held on Thursday in Abuja.
The statement read, “The attention of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has been drawn to media reports where he was erroneously reported to have said that the federal government had commenced an extradition process against Simon Ekpa.
“The report is untrue and a complete departure from what the AGF said at the Stakeholders/Citizen Engagement Forum held on Thursday in Abuja.
“Ekpa, a leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is currently standing trial in Finland for charges filed against him by the Finnish government.”
According to the statement, Fagbemi had only explained that the Nigerian government is, in talks with Finnish authorities, demanding that Ekpa face the music.
“To set the record straight, what the AGF said during the question and answer session was that the Nigerian government had been engaging with Finnish authorities to ensure that Simon Ekpa is held accountable for his actions.
“He explained that since the crimes committed by Simon Ekpa were cross-border in nature, the Nigerian government eagerly awaits the outcome of the proposed trial in Finland to have an informed decision on the next step to take,” the statement added.
Fagbemi urged the media to exercise caution in reporting on the matter and to refrain from publishing speculative claims.
