Finnish authorities has charged Nigerian separatist leader Simon Ekpa, with terrorism-related offences, including incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent and involvement in a terrorist group.
The Finnish National Prosecution Authority confirmed in a statement on Friday that the charges were linked to activities carried out in Lahti, Finland, between 2021 and 2024, aimed at promoting the secession of Nigeria’s Biafra region.
Although the statement did not mention Ekpa by name, Finland’s national broadcaster, YLE, reported that the accused is indeed Simon Ekpa, a controversial figure who has long claimed leadership of the self-declared Biafra Republic Government in Exile.
Ekpa, a dual citizen of Nigeria and Finland, is a known factional leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist group agitating for the independence of Nigeria’s South-East. He has remained in custody since his arrest in November 2024 and has denied the charges brought against him.
The prosecution authority disclosed that while Ekpa faces full trial, four other individuals earlier suspected of financing his activities have been cleared of wrongdoing due to insufficient evidence.
Ekpa previously served as a local representative for Finland’s conservative National Coalition Party in Lahti and sat on the city’s public transport committee.
Over the years, he has come under international scrutiny for spreading misinformation and inciting violence, with global news agencies debunking multiple false claims made in the course of his separatist campaign.
