A District Court in Finland has sentenced Simon Ekpa, the self-proclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Government in Exile, to six years in prison for terrorism-related offenses.
The court found Ekpa guilty of inciting terrorism and participating in the activities of a terrorist organisation.
According to YLE, a Finnish newspaper, the court ruled that Ekpa used his “significant social media following” to fuel unrest in Nigeria’s southeast region between August 2021 and November 2024.
In a unanimous decision, a three-member panel of judges stated that Ekpa was a prominent figure in a militant separatist movement pushing for the creation of an independent Biafra state from Nigeria.
The court further noted that Ekpa supplied certain groups with weapons, explosives, and ammunition “through his network of contacts in the region, and he was also found to have encouraged his followers on social media platform X to commit crimes in Nigeria.”
Additionally, the Finnish court convicted Ekpa of aggravated tax fraud and violating the Attorneys Act.
Ekpa was arrested by Finnish authorities on November 21, 2024, following a probe by the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) into allegations of inciting terrorism and promoting violence through social media, activities believed to have contributed to unrest in southeastern Nigeria.
After his arrest, the Päijät-Häme District Court remanded him in custody, stating that the charges were based on “public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent,” covering alleged offenses committed between August 2021 and November 2024.
During the investigation, the NBI also froze Ekpa’s assets, along with those of his associates and related companies.
