Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported on Thursday that the appeal court upheld the Päijät-Häme District Court’s ruling that Ekpa participated in a terrorist organisation and publicly incited crimes for terrorist purposes.
The case centres on Ekpa’s alleged efforts to establish an independent Biafran state in south-eastern Nigeria. The appeal court reduced his sentence after considering the circumstances surrounding his activities. According to Yle, the court noted that the situation in the region closely resembled a civil war but did not meet the legal definition of one.
During the appeal, Ekpa argued that his involvement in the region’s political crisis did not stem from terrorist intentions. The prosecutor also challenged the original ruling, arguing that the six-year sentence did not adequately reflect the seriousness of his offences.
However, the latest decision is not final, as either side can still appeal to a higher court.
The case covers Ekpa’s activities between August 2021 and November 2024. The district court found that he had used his large social media following to fuel tensions in the Biafra region as part of his campaign for independence.
Ekpa moved from Nigeria to Finland in 2007 and became a long-term resident of Lahti. He also previously served on the Finnish city’s council, representing the National Coalition Party.
In September 2025, the district court sentenced him to six years in prison after convicting him of participating in a terrorist organisation, inciting crimes for terrorist purposes, aggravated tax fraud and violating provisions of the Lawyers Act. The court also found that he supplied armed groups with weapons, explosives and ammunition through his contacts and encouraged followers on X, formerly Twitter, to commit crimes in Nigeria. Ekpa denied the charges during his trial.
His arrest in November 2024 followed investigations into alleged separatist activities linked to the campaign for an independent Biafran state. Biafra declared independence in 1967, triggering a civil war that ended in 1970.
