Eight Nigerians arrested abroad on suspicion of serious crimes This week, the Finnish authorities arrested the leader of the Biafra separat...

 Eight Nigerians arrested abroad on suspicion of serious crimes

This week, the Finnish authorities arrested the leader of the Biafra separatist group IPOB, Simon Ekpa, where they obtained permission to keep him in custody until his trial.

The authorities arrested him on suspicion of inciting people to commit acts of terrorism.

The Nigerian authorities are pleased with this and have expressed their desire to see the owner handed over to face trial in Nigeria.

This is not the first time that a Nigerian has been arrested abroad for alleged involvement or involvement in serious crimes.

Here are eight prominent Nigerians who have been arrested abroad in the past, whose arrests have made Nigeria a headline:

Simon Ekpa

The Finnish authorities arrested him this week, although they did not specify the date.

He was arrested along with four other Nigerians, all of whom are accused of inciting people to commit acts of terrorism.

Simon Ekpa has long claimed to be the leader of a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a secessionist group that seeks the secession of the region of Biafra from Nigeria.

He has been broadcasting his agenda on social media, something that has made him a target of the Nigerian authorities.

In June 2024, during a press conference, the Chief of Army Staff, General Christopher Musa, said that “we have made a strong case that he must be arrested and he must be prosecuted.”

At the time, General Musa accused Finnish authorities of protecting Simon Ekpa.

Nnamdi Kanu

In June 2021, Nigerian authorities announced that IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu had been arrested abroad.

While announcing the arrest, the then Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, did not reveal the exact country where Mr. Kanu was arrested.

However, it was later revealed that he was arrested by security forces in Kenya, where he was quickly extradited to Nigeria.

He has since been arraigned on a number of charges.

Mr. Kanu had previously fled Nigeria after facing 11 charges including conspiracy, illegal possession of arms and smuggling of contraband into Nigeria.

Tukur Mamu

In September 2022, the Department of State Security (DSS) confirmed the arrest of Tukur Mamu, who intervened to rescue train passengers kidnapped by bandits in the forest between the cities of Abuja and Kaduna.

In a statement issued by the DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, he said that he was arrested by international police at Cairo International Airport, Egypt, on September 6, 2022, while on his way to Saudi Arabia.

Tukur Mamu was deported to Nigeria, where the DSS is continuing its investigation.

Nigerian authorities have requested Mamu’s arrest to answer questions related to security issues facing the country.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

In February 2012, a Nigerian national was sentenced to life imprisonment by a US court after he was found guilty of attempting to blow up a US commercial airliner in an incident that was believed to be an act of terrorism.

At least 300 people were on board the flight that took off from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Detroit, USA, on Christmas Day 2009.

Sunday Igboho

In July 2021, authorities in the West African Republic of Benin arrested prominent Yoruba activist Sunday Igboho at the country's airport.

His arrest came after agents of the Nigerian State Security Service (DSS) raided his home in Ibadan on suspicion of spreading separatist ideology.

However, Igboho remained in Beninese custody for two years before being released.

Lawal Babafemi

In August 2015, a court in New York, USA, sentenced Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi, then 35, to 22 years in prison after finding him guilty of conspiring to support al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Babafemi pleaded guilty to the charges he was charged with between 2010 and 2011, admitting that he traveled from Nigeria to Yemen to meet and receive training from al-Qaeda leaders in Yemen, and that he was involved in planning attacks on the United States for a period of 10 years.

Al-Qaeda leaders trained Babafemi in the use of firearms, including the AK-47 model, and taught him English language skills to promote the group's goals abroad.

Ramon Abbas - Hushpuppi

Hushpuppi was arrested on charges of committing online fraud.

Ramon Abbas, better known as Hushpuppi, was arrested in the United Arab Emirates in June 2020 on charges of wire fraud.

He was later extradited to the United States where he was charged with involvement in a fraud scheme