Finnish prosecutors have formally charged Simon Ekpa, a Nigerian-Finnish political activist and self-proclaimed Biafran leader, with terrorism-related offenses in a case that has drawn international attention and stirred renewed debate over separatist movements in Nigeria.
The National Prosecution Authority on Friday announced that a dual national has been charged with public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent and participation in the activities of a terrorist group. While officials withheld the suspect’s name in keeping with Finnish legal protocol, public broadcaster YLE identified the accused as Simon Ekpa.
The charges, according to prosecutors, stem from alleged online and offline activities carried out in Lahti between 2021 and 2024. Authorities claim that Ekpa’s actions were part of a broader attempt to revive the Biafran independence movement in southeastern Nigeria — a cause with a bloody legacy dating back to the 1967–1970 civil war.
Ekpa, who has been in custody since November 2024, has denied any wrongdoing. Through his lawyers, he has maintained that his advocacy for Biafran self-determination is protected political speech.
Ekpa, a former member of Lahti’s municipal transport committee under Finland’s National Coalition Party, rose to prominence as a digital agitator, frequently broadcasting directives and political messages via social media under the banner of the “Biafra Republic Government in Exile.”
His messages, often calling for sit-at-home protests and civil resistance in Nigeria, have been linked to outbreaks of violence and unrest in the country’s southeast.
Fact-checking organizations such as Agence France-Presse (AFP) have previously flagged some of his claims as misleading or incendiary.
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In connection with the investigation, four other individuals were initially detained on suspicion of financially supporting Ekpa’s activities. However, Finnish prosecutors confirmed Friday that charges against those suspects have been dropped due to a lack of evidence.
Authorities in Finland have not disclosed any plans to extradite Ekpa to Nigeria, citing national laws that bar the extradition of Finnish citizens. His trial will therefore proceed in Finnish courts.
If convicted, Ekpa could face significant penalties under Finland’s strict anti-terror laws. The case is notable for being one of the few instances in which Finnish authorities have prosecuted alleged terrorism stemming from political activism conducted primarily online and directed toward events abroad.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the group whose cause Ekpa claims to champion, has been designated a terrorist organization by the Nigerian government. Yet it continues to garner support from diaspora communities, despite internal divisions and mounting scrutiny from host nations.
As legal proceedings begin in Helsinki, the outcome of Ekpa’s case could set a precedent for how Western democracies respond to politically charged activism linked to foreign separatist movements and alleged online radicalization.