Simon Ekpa: Nigeria's Ipob faction leader arrested in Finland

A controversial leader of a Nigerian secessionist movement has been arrested at his home in Finland, the BBC has confirmed.

Simon Ekpa allegedly used social media to incite violence and called for a boycott of Saturday's Nigerian poll.

He leads a faction within the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob), which is fighting for a breakaway state in south-eastern Nigeria.

Nigeria's government had asked Finland to act against him.

A leading newspaper in Finland, Helsingin Sanomat, said that one of its reporters, who had gone to interview Mr Ekpa, saw him being led out of his home by police.

Mr Ekpa had called for a sit-at-home protest from 23 February until after the election.

In 2022, a BBC investigation identified Mr Ekpa as one of the "media warriors" of Ipob, who were allegedly using social media to call for violence.

He did not respond to BBC requests for comment at the time.

Mr Ekpa has declared that his group is "in a revolution and visible state of war".

He had also called for a five-day sit-at-home last December, warning that those who failed to comply should "blame" themselves "for whatsoever that happens" to them.