- Simon Ekpa, a Finnish citizen of Nigerian origin, has been sentenced to six years in prison by Finland’s Päijät-Häme District Court for terrorism-related offences and aggravated tax fraud.
- The court found that Ekpa used social media to incite violence and supported armed separatist groups seeking independence for Biafra between August 2021 and November 2024. Nigeria, which had called for his extradition, welcomed the ruling as a victory against extremism.
- IPOB, the banned secessionist group Ekpa claimed to represent, has since distanced itself from him.
Simon Ekpa, a controversial figure in Nigeria’s separatist politics, has been sentenced to six years in prison by a Finnish court — marking a major legal blow to the Biafra independence campaign.
The Päijät-Häme District Court found Ekpa guilty of terrorism-related offences, aggravated tax fraud, and unlawfully offering legal services. Judges ruled that between August 2021 and November 2024, he used social media to incite violence and equipped armed groups with weapons and explosives in support of Biafra’s independence.
Ekpa, a former councillor in Lahti and naturalized Finnish citizen, denied the charges. He was arrested in February 2023 following a lengthy investigation by Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation.
The court described him as a politically influential figure who exploited divisions within the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to assume a leadership role. Though IPOB was formed in 2012 as a peaceful movement, it launched an armed wing in 2020, citing the need to defend the Igbo ethnic group. Nigeria banned the group and is currently trying its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, on terrorism charges.
Ekpa’s faction, known as “Auto-Pilot,” continued to push for secession, often through incendiary broadcasts and online posts. A BBC investigation in 2022 identified him as one of IPOB’s “media warriors,” though the group has since disavowed him.
The Nigerian government had called for Ekpa’s extradition, accusing him of inciting violence and destabilizing the southeast. While Finland did not extradite him, the conviction has been hailed by Nigerian officials as a landmark moment in the fight against extremism.
The verdict also underscores the global reach of separatist movements and the legal consequences of inciting violence across borders. For many in Nigeria’s southeast, the judgment brings a mix of relief and reflection — on a decades-long struggle that began with the declaration of Biafra in the 1960s and led to a civil war that claimed over a million lives.
