A District Court in Finland has sentenced Simon Ekpa, a self-proclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Government in Exile, to six years in prison for terrorism-related offences.
According to Finnish newspaper YLE, the court found Ekpa guilty of inciting terrorism and participating in the activities of a terrorist organisation. The three-member panel of judges ruled unanimously that he exploited his large social media following to fuel unrest in Nigeria’s South-East between August 2021 and November 2024.
The court further established that Ekpa acted as an influential figure within a militant separatist movement seeking to establish a Biafra state from Nigeria. He was also found to have supplied weapons, explosives, and ammunitionthrough his network of contacts, while encouraging his followers on social media platform X to commit crimes in Nigeria.
In addition to terrorism charges, Ekpa was convicted of aggravated tax fraud and for violating provisions of the Attorneys Act in Finland.
Ekpa was arrested on November 21, 2024, following investigations by the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) into his activities. Authorities said his online campaigns were linked to violent incidents and civil unrest across southeastern Nigeria. After his arrest, the Päijät-Häme District Court ordered his detention on grounds of “public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.”
During the probe, the NBI also froze Ekpa’s assets, alongside those of his associates and affiliated companies.
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