Finland Jails Simon Ekpa for Six Years Over Terrorism-Related Crimes

|By Chinwendu Nwani

A District Court in Finland has sentenced Simon Ekpa, the self-styled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Government in Exile, to six years in prison for terrorism-related offenses.

The court ruled that Ekpa incited terrorism and promoted violence through his social media platforms, acts investigators say fueled unrest in southeastern Nigeria.

Finnish authorities arrested Ekpa on November 21, 2024, after a lengthy probe by the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). He was subsequently remanded in custody by the Päijät-Häme District Court, which found him guilty of “public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent,” covering activities from August 2021 to November 2024.

As part of the investigation, the NBI also froze Ekpa’s assets, alongside those of his associates and linked companies.

Ekpa’s conviction marks a major development in efforts to curtail cross-border incitement of violence linked to separatist movements.