Sit-at-Home: Nigeria's Chief of Army Staff Takes Key Action Against Simon Ekpa’s Controversial Directive

• Army chief, Major-General Taoreed Lagbaja, has ordered his men to seize control of areas where Biafra proponents violently enforce their sit-at-home order
• The order came after a pro-Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, announced that there would be a two-week sit-at-home in the southeast region from Monday, July 31
• Ekpa, the brain behind many sit-at-home orders in the five states of the southeast geopolitical zone, is based in Finland

Awka, Anambra state - Amid the sit-at-home order challenge in Nigeria's southeast region, the Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Taoreed Lagbaja, has given fresh directives to the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army.

The 82 division is operating in synergy with other security agencies to ensure robust patrols to dominate all flashpoints and embrace measures to ensure southeast residents are free to go about their legitimate businesses.

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Simon Ekpa: Army chief orders clampdown on sit-at-home enforcers

Speaking with The Punch, in an interview published on Thursday, July 13, the Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu, condemned Ekpa. Ekpa is behind the controversial sit-at-home exercise in Eastern Nigeria region, ICIR reported.

Nwachukwu said:

“The Chief of Army Staff has handed down clear directives to the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army operating in synergy with other security agencies.

“Strangely, Simon Ekpa, a notorious terrorist and self-acclaimed leader of IPOB, is in Finland making a living for himself and his family, but ordering the people to shut down their means of livelihood by sitting at home.”

Simon Ekpa, brain behind southeast sit-at-home order, arrested

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Simon Ekpa was arrested by Finland authoritities on Thursday, February 23.

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His arrest was confirmed by HS, a new outlet in Finland, adding that the police in the country led the separatist out of his apartment in Lahti.

Simon Ekpa: Fresh details emerge as separatists' factional leader leaves police custody

Legit.ng also reported that Ekpa, the factional leader of the pro-Biafra separatists, who was arrested by the Finnish police, was later released.

According to the BBC Pidgin, the separatist was released after being interrogated for more than four hours.

Source: Legit.ng