Rattled by his proactive actions, Finnish-based separatists fighter, Simon Ekpa, directly battles Enugu State’s Gov Peter Mbah.
Yesterday, the Helsinki Finland resident accused Mbah of violating people’s rights. He wrote to Europen Union and the United States to sanction Governor Mbah for his alleged human rights abuses.
Enugu State government confiscated and arrested people in the state without recourse to the constitution, Ekpa alleged.
He therefore asked EU and US to impose a visa ban on Mbah for breaching the law.
In a separate video message, he attempted to rouse the people against the governor. He accused Gov. Mbah of lack of accountability in a now trending online video.
Ekpa demanded to know what the governor did with two months federal allocations since he assumed office.
Ekpa’s anger followed reports that three persons died yesterday while protesting the sealing of their shops by the governor.
The Governor has been pleading with people to defy Simon Ekpa’s orders to remain indoors every Monday. On Tuesday, Governor Mbah wielded the big stick by sealing shops whose owners refused to open on Mondays.
Enugu Police Command however did not corroborate the number of deaths. The Police launched an investigation into the claims of casualities, Command spokesperson, Deputy Superintendent Daniel Ndukwu, said.
“The initially peaceful protest was hijacked and made to become violent.
He pleaded with traders to remain “law-abiding, peaceful, and cooperative while using approved channels to express their grievances.”
According to him, the Commissioner of Police ordered a “full-scale investigation.” He promised to provide further information on social media reports of casualties.
On Autopilot
Simon Ekpa leads Autopilot, a splinter group of IPOB that currently imposes indiscriminate sit-at-home orders on the Southeast region.
Federal authorities linked his outfit with a spate of killings and destruction of public buildings in the region.
In other cases, Autopilot enforces manhandled citizens unfortunate enough to run into them. Authorities also link those enforcing sit-at-home in the region with bestial killings in the region, although without proof.
Citizens react
Citizens expressed mixed reactions to the Ekpa offensives yesterday.
While many people sympathize with the IPOB movement, many are dubious about the motives of Simon Ekpa and his Autopilots.
“Isn’t he the one violating our rights by forcing us to stay indoors every Monday?” asked John Egwu, a resident. Egwu, a lecturer in one of the universities in Enugu City, said he was totally against “Ekpa’s meddlesomeness” in Enugu.
“His orders have led to thousands of deaths in Igboland. Isn’t he the one issuing orders for his thugs to kill those who go out to look for daily bread? Don’t we have any right to say we will not join his agitation? This man is not serious at all.”
Another citizen who did not want his name in print also disputed Ekpa’s methods.
“Simon Ekpa is the one violating our rights. He restricts our right to free movement every Monday. He stops us from looking for our daily bread. And he threatens to kill us if we disobey, as if he is an authority or something.”
Slug: Ekpa battles Gov Peter Mbah of Enugu State
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