The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has clarified that the Nigerian government has no extradition process against Finland based Biafra nation agitator, Simon Ekpa.
Ekpa, a leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, is said to be currently standing trial in Finland for charges filed against him by the Finnish government and not Nigeria.
The clarification by the AGF was contained in a statement issued by Kamarudeen Ogundele, a Special Assistant on Communication and Publicity, Office of the AGF and Minister of Justice.
It read partly, “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 and 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.
“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 AGF appeals to the media to be circumspect and avoid reporting speculations on the sensitive matter”;, the statement said.
