By Don Peter Okoro.
Elder Statesman and former Chairman of the Police Service Commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Dr. Simon N. Okeke OFR has posited that Mr. Simon Ekpa the Finland based Nigerian, presently agitating for the Independence of Biafra and calling on Southeasterners to embark on a Two Week Sit At Home, should be extradited back to Nigeria and made to face the full wrath of the Law.
Interacting with a Select Group of Journalists over the weekend at his AKARTA LODGE,Amichi, Nnewi South LGA of Anambra, the highly Respected Igbo Leader of Thought, spoke on a wide range of issues including that of Nnamdi Kanu, Simon Ekpa, Fuel Subsidy#8,000 Cash to Vulnerable Nigerians, Godwin Emefiele manhandling by men of the Department of State Security (DSS) and other sundry topics.
On the issue of Simon Ekpa who is presently calling for a two week Sit At Home in the South East, he said:”As for Simon Ekpa who is 6,000 miles away and causing havoc in Nigeria,it is long overdue for that man to be extradited and punished for Intransigence and I have been advocating for this.
I led a High Powered Delegation of Ambassadors and Elders of Nigeria to the Embassy of Finland and demanded that action be taken to shut that man up before the election took place.
Good enough, the Finish Ambassador respected our Delegation and acted immediately and the man was arrested severally but released; and now he is still waxing stronger. He should be charged for Sedition.
There are cases of people who attempted something like this and were extradited and jailed. That man is causing a lot of havoc to Nigeria.
Nothing short of imprisonment with hard labor will suffice. He is committing a very serious International Offence against the Nigerian Government and this should be taken very seriously by the Federal Government of Nigeria.” On Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, he posited:”My own view is that the release of Nnamdi Kanu is long overdue.
A Court of competent jurisdiction has granted him bail. Why are you still holding him? There is no point holding him at all.
This is anarchy. Where you don’t respect the decisions of the Court is anarchy. It is long overdue for Nnamdi Kanu to be released, so that he can enjoy his freedom.”. Answering questions on how the suspended Governor of Central Bank was recently manhandled by the men of the DSS, he described it as:’ Sheer rascality on the part of the DSS.
How can a Department of Government run foul of a Court order. It is not done! It is a show of force and a show of shame to the whole world.
It speaks loudly of the rascality of the Governance and surprisingly, such an action has not been denounced or condemned from the quarters that should do so.” On the removal of Fuel Subsidy, he replied:.
“Removal of Fuel Subsidy is not bad in itself, but it is a matter of how it was removed. The process of removal is not quite what it should be.
Whether there should be removal of fuel subsidy? Yes for the country to survive, but the mechanics of the removal is what is not right.
It should not have been so sudden. It should have been by gradual process. If fuel subsidy is to be removed, there should have been some palliatives in place to cushion the effects, but hitherto there is none, this is my problem with it.”
He also commented on the #8,000 that the Federal Government promised to give poor Nigerian families, describing it as a child’s play and wondered what #8,000 can do for a.family. He also queried the method to be employed in generating the names of the beneficiaries.