Mazi Simon Ekpa has been sued for a crime against humanity in the South-East by Mr. Ifeanyi Ejimofor, the lawyer for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
Simon Ekpa, Anibueze Juliet, Obinna Uzoaganaobi, Chukwuemeka Livingstone, and Raphael Ajaere are among the defendants in the lawsuit.
On December 12, 2022, the lawsuit with the case number CU/788/2022 was submitted to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
This is due to a criminal complaint against Ekpa being filed by an Igbo group located in Germany with the prosecutor’s office in Southern Finland, where the Ebonyi-born discipline of Kanu is based.
A copy of the complaint read in part:” Submission of criminal complaint against Mr Simon Ekpa Njoku of Kauppaku 6, 15140 LAHTI, Finland with crimes against humanity, leading, participating in, supporting, funding and encouraging a terrorist organization currently engaged in numerous acts of terrorism in South Easterner Nigeria.
”Previously working as a blogger and YouTuber, Simon Ekpa has since many months been propagating the restoration of Biafra over the social media channels while unleashing violence and massacre against the civilian population.
“In the last several years, some Nigerians of Igbo origin which fraudulently capitalising on the emotions people attach to Biafra, have generated enormous wealth for themselves in form of donations and other income through online traffic generated on social media by promising to restore Biafra”.
The writ of summons also read in part: “You are hereby commanded that within 30 days after the service of the writ on you, inclusive of the day of such service, you do cause an appearance to be entered for you in action at the suit of Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, and notice that in defaulting, the claimant may proceed, and judgement may be entered in your absence”.
The five-day Ekpa sit-at-home edict has drawn criticism from the public, and IPOB has subsequently distanced itself from it, claiming that Ekpa is being exploited by the movement’s adversaries to demonize it and destabilize the South East.
Since then, Kanu has also rejected Ekpa, claiming that his strategy is anti-human and anti-Biafra.