OEAS Demands Release of Biafra and Ambazonia Activists Detained in Finland and Norway
The Organisation of Emerging African States (OEAS) has raised a serious concern over the continued detention of Simon Ekpa, a prominent Biafra separatist leader, in Finland, and Ayaba Lucas Cho, an Ambazonia agitator, in Norway. Both activists are facing charges that OEAS claims are politically motivated and aim to suppress their fundamental rights to self-determination.
In a joint statement released on Thursday, OEAS legal counsel Jonathan Levy and Secretary General Ebenezer Akwanga condemned the detention of Ekpa, the Prime Minister of the United States of Biafra, and Cho, the leader of the Ambazonia Defence Forces, as unjust. The organisation believes that both men are being persecuted for advocating for the independence of Biafra and Ambazonia, regions in Nigeria and Cameroon, respectively.
OEAS further alleges that both the Nigerian and Cameroonian governments have been negotiating with Finland and Norway to facilitate the detention and prosecution of Ekpa and Cho. According to the statement, the charges brought against them are an attempt to stifle their right to self-determination and freedom, which they have fought for in their respective regions.
The group is calling for the immediate release of Ekpa and Cho, urging that their cases be transferred to the International Criminal Court (ICC), should evidence of war crimes, genocide, or crimes against humanity by the Nigerian and Cameroonian governments arise.
The statement also highlighted the ongoing negotiations between Nordic countries and Nigeria, particularly in the context of a meeting between the Nigerian government, the European Union, and ECOWAS ministers in Abuja in August 2024. OEAS alleges that as part of a political and investment agreement, the arrest of Ekpa and Cho was a condition for cooperation, with Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Elina Valtonen, reportedly promising that Ekpa would soon be apprehended.
“The European Convention on Human Rights, the Treaty on European Union, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) must apply to all individuals, including Ekpa and Cho,” the OEAS statement reads. “If investigations uncover evidence of war crimes, this matter should be referred to the ICC for further prosecution.”
Both Ekpa and Cho were arrested in separate incidents—Ekpa in Finland on November 18, 2024, and Cho in Norway on September 24, 2024—on allegations of incitement and terrorism-related offences. The Nigerian government, upon Ekpa’s arrest, signaled plans for his extradition, while Cameroonian authorities have similarly sought Cho’s extradition from Norway.
The OEAS has urged the European nations involved to reconsider their actions, emphasizing that their detention is not only a violation of their human rights but also could set a dangerous precedent for political persecution under the guise of international cooperation.
