Simon Ekpa charged with terrorism in Finland

Finnish prosecutors say they have charged an individual suspected to be a separatist leader, Simon Ekpa, with terrorism incitement in connection with moves to establish an independent state of Biafra in Nigeria.

In a statement released on Friday, Finland’s National Prosecution Authority established that it had charged “a Finnish individual in a case involving suspected public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent and participation in the activities of a terrorist group.”

The alleged offences occurred in the city of Lahti between 2021 and 2024.

While authorities did not establish the identity of the accused, Finnish public broadcaster, YLE, reported that the individual is Simon Ekpa, a dual Finnish-Nigerian national and self-proclaimed leader of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile.

According to the prosecution, the suspect remains in custody and denies all charges. “The charges relate to public messages inciting violent actions with the aim of advancing the independence of Biafra.”

Ekpa, a former athlete and lawyer, has gained bad reputation for his outstanding role in the Indigenous People of Biafra movement, which agitates for secession for Nigeria’s southeastern region. The area was the centre of a brutal civil war in the late 1960s following a failed attempt to establish the Republic of Biafra.

In addition to his political activities, Ekpa has also been involved in Finnish politics, having served on a public transport committee in Lahti for the conservative National Coalition Party.

He was arrested in November 2024, and at the time, Finnish police also sought to detain four others suspected of financing his activities.

On Friday, the prosecution disclosed that charges against those four individuals had been dropped due to insufficient evidence.