The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has dissociated himself from media reports that quoted him as saying that the Federal Government had commenced an extradition process against the separatist agitator, Simon Ekpa.
Fagbemi, in a statement through the Special Adviser to the President on Communication and Publicity, Office of the AGF and Minister of Justice, Kamarudeen Ogundele, on Friday, clarified that the report was a complete departure from what he said at the Stakeholders/Citizen Engagement Forum held on Thursday in Abuja.
He stated, “To set the record straight, what the AGF said during the question and answer session was that the Nigerian government had been engaging with Finnish authorities to ensure that Simon Ekpa is held accountable for his actions.”
“He explained that since the crimes committed by Simon Ekpa were cross-border in nature, the Nigerian government eagerly awaits the outcome of the proposed trial in Finland to make an informed decision on the next step to take.
“The AGF appeals to the media to be circumspect and avoid reporting speculations on the sensitive matter”.
Ekpa, a leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra, is currently standing trial in Finland for terrorism charges filed against him by the Finnish government.