Raphael Kanu
A Finnish district court on Monday sentenced Nigerian-born agitator Simon Ekpa to six years in prison after finding him guilty of terrorism-related crimes, incitement, aggravated tax fraud, and professional misconduct.
The Päijät-Häme District Court, in a ruling that sent ripples through Nigeria’s southeast and the wider diaspora, declared that Ekpa attempted to promote the independence of the so-called Biafra region in southeastern Nigeria through violent and illegal means. Court documents obtained by BBC News Pidgin showed that the 40-year-old former municipal politician in Lahti not only exploited divisions in the separatist movement but also built it into a more structured and organised network.
According to the judges, between August 2021 and November 2024, Ekpa used social media to position himself as a political influencer, urging followers to embrace violence and entrenching his authority within the fractured Biafra agitation. The court revealed that armed groups emerged under his watch, which were classified as terrorist organisations.
“Ekpa equipped these groups with weapons, explosives and ammunition through his contacts. He also urged and incited his followers on X, formerly known as Twitter, to commit crimes in Nigeria,” the court declared in its judgment.
The trial, which stretched across twelve sessions between May 30 and June 25, 2025, ended in a unanimous verdict by a three-judge panel. Finnish authorities had arrested Ekpa in December 2024 on charges of publicly inciting terrorist activities, and he has remained in custody since then.
Investigators also apprehended four other men during the probe, but the charges against them were later dismissed for lack of evidence.
Ekpa, who once held a seat as municipal councillor in Lahti, denied all the charges. He has nevertheless become one of the most divisive figures in Nigeria’s political space, with his broadcasts drawing both fervent support and fierce condemnation.
The judgment marks a dramatic turning point for a man who sought to use Finland as a platform for separatist politics but now faces the weight of European justice for crimes tied to terrorism.
