The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on behalf of the Federal Government (FG) on Tuesday summoned the Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Leena Pylvanainen over “hate speech and incitive comments” made by a Nigerian lawyer and Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, who is based in Finland. The Ekpa-led faction of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had declared that the upcoming elections would not be allowed to hold in the South-East region of the country and had ordered that sit-at-home would be observed in the region during elections.
Geoffrey Onyeama, the Foreign Affairs Minister, who was represented by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada stated that Ekpa is comfortably living in Finland and issuing dangerous orders capable of inciting violence in the South-East.
Dada said to Pylvanainen, “We thought it was important for us to have this chat with you to let you know that, of course, he is living in the comfort of his home there in Finland and we know that we have been in touch with your good self.
“We have had some time to ensure that we arrest this situation but it appears the situation is getting out of hand and we are saying, enough is enough. We should let you know, in very strong terms that it is high time you really mean and back Nigeria with the quest that something be done immediately because he threatens the forthcoming elections.
“The sad thing is that this gentleman has a lot of followers out there and the moment he issues these instructions, what happens is that you have destruction the very next day. They embark on killings, maiming, and burning and you name it and we believe that this is not acceptable.”
He added that this discussion is important because the Nigerian government was concerned about this “very unhealthy development” and something had to be done to address the situation.
In her response, the Finnish Ambassador said, “This is something I want to make very, very clear. Finland condemns all violence and incitement to violence in all its forms. Political aims, of course, should be pursued through political means only. That is very clear.
“It stems from the fundamentals of our actions, it’s enshrined in our constitution and we do really underline our support and the importance we see for these elections, not only for Nigeria but for the entire region. So we’re with you very much on that.
“We share very much the concerns regarding the security situation in the South-East. Yes, there are problems in other parts of the country as well, but this is an issue that we are directly concerned with. This is an issue we have been discussing, we share the concerns. We have discussed the matter and as I mentioned, our law enforcement agencies are in touch and are cooperating.
“We’ve had several discussions here in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which we do appreciate very much, because you said this is an issue of national concern to Nigeria nationally, but it is very much a concern for us as well.”
She also stated that Finland, as a member of the European Union (EU), has long-term election observers on ground and is interested in the safe conduct of elections in Nigeria.
According to her, “Also, he’s a double citizen as far as I know of Nigeria and Finland, and he’s therefore as you rightly said, protected and safe and sound in his home in Finland. But we have to take his rights into consideration as well. So, everything has to obviously be done according to Finnish legislation, which has very strong protections for freedom of speech.
“But of course, stipulations against hate speech and incitement to violence for us, the situation is really of concern on 3 accounts, even you could say it is of concern. Most of all, of course, on the ground in the Southeast, but also what we have seen over the recent weeks.”