The Päijät-Häme District Court in Finland on Monday sentenced pro-Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, to six years in prison after finding him guilty of multiple terrorism-related offences.
Ekpa, a lawyer and self-styled leader of a separatist movement pushing for the secession of Biafra from Nigeria, was convicted of inciting terrorism and actively participating in the activities of a terrorist group.
According to Finnish daily Yle, the court ruled that between August 2021 and November 2024, Ekpa used his vast social media platforms to instigate violence and unrest in Nigeria’s South-East region.
The three-man panel of judges held that Ekpa was “an influential figure in a militant separatist group whose ultimate goal was to forcefully carve out a Biafra state.”
The court further established that Ekpa facilitated the supply of weapons, explosives, and ammunition to armed groups through a network of international contacts.
He was also found guilty of urging his followers on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to commit acts of violence in Nigeria.
In addition to the terrorism convictions, the Finnish court also found him guilty of aggravated tax fraud and violating the provisions of the Attorneys Act.
Ekpa, who had long been a controversial figure in Nigeria’s political and security discourse, has consistently used his online broadcasts to issue “sit-at-home” orders and directives that often turned violent, paralyzing economic and social activities in several South-East states.
The Finnish government had earlier frozen Ekpa’s assets and declared that the offences for which he was standing trial were not bailable, sparking diplomatic attention from Nigeria.
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