A Finnish court has sentenced Simon Ekpa, a Nigerian-born Finnish citizen and controversial leader of a Biafra secessionist faction, to six years in prison after convicting him of terrorism-related offences and aggravated tax fraud.
The Päijät-Häme District Court ruled that Ekpa, a former councillor in Lahti city, attempted to promote the independence of the south-eastern Nigerian region of Biafra through illegal means. Court documents show that between August 2021 and November 2024, he equipped armed groups with weapons and explosives through his network of contacts while using social media platforms to incite violence in Nigeria.
Ekpa, who denied the charges, was arrested at his home in Finland in February 2023 following increasing international pressure. The Nigerian government had earlier called for his extradition, accusing him of financing terrorism and fueling violent separatist activities in the country’s south-east. In March 2024, the Nigerian army declared Ekpa and 96 others wanted for terrorism, violent extremism, and secessionist threats.
Parts of south-eastern Nigeria have suffered years of unrest due to the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist movement founded in 2012. Although IPOB began as a peaceful group, it launched an armed wing in 2020, claiming to defend the Igbo ethnic group. Critics, however, argue that the movement has unleashed violence, causing deaths, displacement, and destruction in the region.
Ekpa had positioned himself as a prominent figure in the separatist struggle, often referred to as one of IPOB’s “media warriors.” A 2022 BBC investigation linked him to social media campaigns calling for violence in Nigeria. He has repeatedly claimed leadership of a faction within IPOB, even as the group’s founder, Nnamdi Kanu, remains in detention facing terrorism charges in Nigeria charges he also denies.
The secessionist campaign for Biafra traces its roots back to the late 1960s, when Igbo leader Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu declared the Republic of Biafra. The declaration led to a brutal three-year civil war that caused over one million deaths, mainly from starvation and lack of medical care. Today, the push for Biafran independence remains one of Nigeria’s most sensitive security and political challenges, with Ekpa’s conviction seen as a major international crackdown on separatist financing and propaganda.
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