The military chief made the remark in a dialogue with the pressmen. He noted that the clampdown on Ekpa had reduced violent incidents in the region, which has long battled insecurity linked to separatist groups.

A Nigerian-Finnish citizen, Ekpa, spearheads a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra, a group seeking the secession of the South-east and some parts of the South-south from Nigeria.

Musa said while Mr Ekpa’s prosecution was ongoing in Finland, Nigeria’s troops have activated operations to track down his lieutenants in all the states in the South-east.

“We are going to go after the likes of him, wherever they are, and whatever it takes until we bring them down,” he said.

“When we talked about him (Ekpa), people thought we were making noise, but since he has been arrested, the South-east is getting better,” he said.

Recall Ekpa was arrested on 21 November 2024 by Finnish authorities alongside four others on suspicion of terrorist activities. The Finnish police accused him of contributing to violence and crimes against civillians in southeastern Nigeria.

Before now he has been linked to the worsening insecurity in Nigeria’s South-east.

Source: PremiumTimes