20/08/2026
BREAKING: Simon Ekpa Denies Membership of United States of Biafra (USB), Affirms Role as BRGIE Leader
In a statement released Thursday, August 20, 2026, representatives associated with the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE) distanced the organization and its Prime Minister, Simon Njoku Ekpa, from the United States of Biafra (USB) and related activities, while reaffirming Ekpa’s exclusive leadership role in BRGIE.
The update, shared via video on platforms aligned with BRGIE, addresses circulating claims and propaganda linked to Ekpa’s ongoing court proceedings in Finland. A speaker identified with the Office of the Secretary General and a Deputy Secretary General stated that attempts to link Ekpa to the USB are “factually incorrect and misleading.” They emphasized that the USB has “no administrative, structural, or operational connection to BRGIE” and that Ekpa “has never served in, subscribed to, or been governed by USB.” His advocacy and international engagement, the statement said, occur “strictly under the BRGIE framework.”
The statement further noted that Ekpa “cannot be forced into a union with an organization or group without his express permission.”
Internal divisions within Autopilot circles have intensified during Ekpa’s detention. The USB emerged around the November 2024 independence declaration involving a proposed map of 40 states; some loyalists, including figures like Ngozi Orabueze, have continued to reference Ekpa in that context.
Earlier in 2026, BRGIE’s cabinet reportedly elected Ogechukwu Nkere as Prime Minister to succeed Ekpa amid his prolonged detention, though the latest statement reasserts Ekpa’s singular role in BRGIE. Mainstream IPOB has consistently rejected and distanced itself from Ekpa, BRGIE, the Biafra Liberation Army (BLA), and the USB, describing them as unauthorized and linked to violence.
Ekpa remains in Finnish custody as his appeal against a six-year terrorism-related sentence continues.
Family Writers Press International