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Pro Biafra Agitator Simon Ekpa arrested by the Finnish Central Criminal Police

The controversial pro-Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, has been arrested by the Finnish Central Criminal Police. Mr Ekpa is the leader of Autopilot, a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

IPOB is a group leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the south-east and some parts of south-south Nigeria.

With events unfolding, the FG will likely apply for his extradition. The Director of Defence Information, Brig Gen Tukur Gusau, who gave the indication on Thursday, said Ekpa, a self-proclaimed disciple of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, should be extradited to Nigeria to face criminal charges.

Also, many Nigerians online demanded his repatriation to Nigeria to face terrorism charges. However, the IPOB dissociated itself from the embattled Biafran separatist, asserting it had no relationship with him.

The Finland-based Biafran agitator is a close ally of the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who is facing charges of terrorism, treasonable felony, and inciting violence through his Radio Biafra, amongst others. He has been in the custody of the Department of State Services since 2021 when he was arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria.

A presidential spokesman, Daniel Bwala, said President Bola Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, have yet to be briefed on the arrest of Ekpa.

“The procedure is that the (Nigerian) Embassy in Finland has to have the information and it would brief the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the minister might brief the NSA or the President,’’ he explained.

Ekpa and four others were arrested in Finland on charges related to terrorism, Finland’s Central Criminal Police said in a statement on Thursday.

A report said the District Court of Päijät-Häme, Finland, ordered that Ekpa be imprisoned “with probable cause on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.”

Speaking on the development in a statement on Thursday, Gusau said the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Chris Musa, was pleased with the trial of the ESN leader.

Gusau wrote, “CDS is happy with his arrest in Finland, with the hope this will be a step towards his extradition to Nigeria so that he will face justice.”

Ekpa, a Finnish citizen of Nigerian origin, was accused of inciting crimes with terrorist intent, while the other suspects face charges of financing terrorism. He was arrested in February 2023 for his inciting comments and sit-at-home orders to the people of the South-East.

Before his arrest, thousands of Nigerians worldwide signed a petition appealing to the Finnish and Nigerian governments and the European Union to arrest Ekpa. He had asked the people to boycott the 2023 general poll, insisting there would be no election in the region.

Worried by his activities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Leena Pylvanainen, over his threats to stop the 2023 general election in the South-East. The ministry sought the Finnish government’s cooperation to arrest Ekpa over threats to disrupt the exercise.

The Finnish police confirmed on Thursday that Ekpa and his accomplices were arrested earlier this week as part of an international investigation.

Ekpa, who describes Ekpa, who describes himself as the “Prime Minister” of the Biafra Republic Government-in-Exile, is alleged to have used social media platforms to promote violent activities in the South-East, including attacks on civilians and authorities.

The police said the main suspect was arrested “on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent,” while four others were arrested “for financing a terrorist crime.”

The police added: “Claims will be heard in Päijät-Häme district court today, November 21. The detention demands are related to the preliminary investigation, in which a Finnish citizen of Nigerian background, born in the 1980s, is suspected of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.

“The police suspect that the man has promoted his efforts from Finland by means that have led to violence against civilians and authorities as well as other crimes in the region of South-Eastern Nigeria” the statement read in part.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has distanced themselves from the self acclaimed Prime Minister of Biafra Government in Exile (BRGIE) Simon Ekpa.

Ekpa was arrested alongside four others by the government of Finland over terror-related activities.

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Asake’s ‘Mr Money With the Vibe’ Is Charting Top 50 On Spotify

Three years after its release, Asake’s Mr Money With the Vibe is still doing numbers. At the time of press, the track ‘Nzaza’ currently ranks 23rd on Spotify Nigeria’s Top 50 songs, that’s 148 weeks and counting, nearly three years of nonstop streaming for a debut project.

For most artists, a first album fades after its moment. For Asake, it’s really that moment that refuses to fade.

Released September 8, 2022, through YBNL Nation and Empire, Mr Money With the Vibe arrived when the streets already knew Asake’s name. He had already spent months turning singles like Sungba into hits. This 12-track debut built on that momentum, and he managed to do even more.

The project blends Afrobeats, Amapiano, and Fuji influences, creating a sound that can be global yet deeply Nigerian. Songs like Joha, Terminator, and Organise became instant hits, setting the tone for Asake’s larger-than-life run that would define Afrobeats in the mid-2020s.

From its first day out, Mr Money With the Vibe shattered expectations and redefined what a Nigerian debut could do.

Apple Music Africa: The album broke records for the most first-day and most opening three-day streams ever by an African project.Apple Music Nigeria Top 100: For a brief, almost unbelievable stretch, every single track on the album occupied the first 12 spots on the chart. Global Reach: The project reached #1 on Apple Music Album Charts in 26 countries, including six across Europe.

Albums fade, trends change, and new stars rise every quarter. Yet Mr Money With the Vibe remains glued to the top. That consistency says something about both Asake and his audience. For one, the project captured a moment in time, the rise of a new street-pop generation that blurred the lines between amapiano and Yoruba-rooted rhythm. Every track carried Asake’s trademark vocals and a hypnotic tempo that became instantly recognizable across countries.

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Wizkid’s Son Enters the Spotlight with Debut EP ‘Champion’s Arrival’

Boluwatife Balogun, the 14-year-old son of Afrobeats titan Wizkid, has finally launched his own music career. Now known by the stage name “Champz”, the young star has just unveiled his first-ever project. The much-anticipated five-track EP, titled Champion’s Arrival, dropped on Tuesday, November 11, instantly sparking fresh buzz on the internet.

Champz himself took to his social media channels to confirm the news via a post that read: “11/11: The Champion has arrived. My debut EP ‘Champion’s Arrival’ is Out Now on all streaming platforms!”

The debut project serves nothing near his father’s iconic Afropop sound as Bolu’s sound is strictly a heavy dose of Rap, Afroswing, and Trap. Early snippets, which went viral weeks ago, showcased a lyrical flow and a smooth, polished composure that belies his tender age.

Fans can now stream the full project across all major digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Audiomack. Champz is signalling his readiness to step into the fiercely competitive Nigerian music scene. The game has a new player.

This is not merely a son following his father; it is a destiny playing out in real time.

Wizkid also began his journey at a tender age, starting in a church choir and later releasing his first collaborative album at just 11 years old under the name ‘Lil Prinz

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Incumbent Anambra Governor Charles Soludo Wins Anambra Election

Charles Soludo

Governor Chukwuma Soludo has secured a return to office after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him the winner of the November 8, 2025, Anambra State governorship election. The results announced by the electoral umpire showed that the incumbent governor recorded a landslide victory, sweeping all the 21 local government areas of the South-East State. In the early hours of Sunday, November 9, the State Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Omoregie Edoba, declared Soludo the winner of the exercise after collating results from the state’s local government areas.

“I hereby declare that Soludo Chukwuma Charles of the APGA, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Edoba said.

The final tally showed that the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate garnered 422,664 votes, pulverising his closest challenger, the All Progressives Congress (APC) flag-bearer, Nicholas Ukachukwu, who polled 99,445 votes.

Paul Chukwuma of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) came a distant third with 37,753 votes, while John Nwosu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) scored 8,208 votes.

Labour Party’s George Moghalu and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Jude Ezenwafor, scored 10,576 votes and 1,401 votes, respectively. Peter Obi, a former Governor of the State and Labour Party’s presidential candidate in 2023, couldn’t bring his popularity to bear in the election.

Obi, who had spearheaded Moghalu’s campaign, not only failed to secure a victory for his preferred candidate at his polling unit, but the Labour Party’s total votes of 10,576 also fell way short of expectations.

Results from Polling Unit 019, Umudimakasi, Amatutu village, where Obi voted, showed that the APC recorded 73 votes, defeating the Labour Party, which polled 57 votes.

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