Finland Court Sentences Simon Ekpa To Prison

Pro-Biafran agitator, Simon Ekpa,  has been sentenced to six years in prison by a district Court in Finland for terrorism-related crimes.

Naija News learnt that official court documents obtained by BBC News Pidgin on Monday disclosed that the 40-year-old former municipal politician from Lahti was convicted on multiple charges, including participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation, incitement to commit crimes for terrorist purposes, aggravated tax fraud, and violations of the Lawyers Act.

The court ordered that Ekpa remain in custody.

According to the judgment, between August 2021 and November 2024, Ekpa attempted to promote the independence of the so-called Biafra region in southeastern Nigeria through illegal means.

The court statement, as reported by BBC News pidgin, stated, “He used social media to gain a politically influential position and took advantage of the confusion within a key separatist movement in Nigeria to play a significant role in it.” 

However, Ekpa denied all the charges against him.

The court also found that Ekpa was instrumental in founding and developing the separatist movement into a more organised structure, working alongside others.

It would be recalled that in November 2024, the Finnish government announced the arrest of Ekpa along with four other individuals on allegations of engaging in terror-related activities, which include incitement to violence and financing terrorism.

Finnish law enforcement has confirmed that Ekpa, who is referred to as the self-declared Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government-in-Exile, purportedly utilised social media platforms to incite violence in the South-East region, specifically targeting both civilians and governmental authorities.

Following his arrest, the Päijät-Häme District Court ordered Ekpa to be held in custody on charges of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.