Finnish prosecutors announced on Friday that they had charged a man, identified by local media as Nigerian separatist leader, Simon Ekpa, with inciting terrorism online.
Naija News reports that the charges follow an investigation into his activities between 2021 and 2024 in Lahti, Finland.
The Finnish National Prosecution Authority issued a statement confirming that a Finnish individual was charged with suspected public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent and participation in the activities of a terrorist group.
The authorities stated that the charges stem from efforts to establish an independent Biafra region in Nigeria, a cause championed by Ekpa.
While the prosecution authority did not directly name the accused, Finnish public broadcaster, YLE confirmed that the individual in question is Simon Ekpa, a self-proclaimed leader of a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
He has been advocating for the independence of Nigeria’s southeastern region, a move that has sparked violence and controversy.
Ekpa, who also claims to lead the Biafra Republic’s government in exile, was arrested in November. According to the prosecution authority, Ekpa has been in custody since his arrest and has denied the charges against him.
The dual Finnish-Nigerian national has actively advocated for the secession of Nigeria’s southeastern region, where the Biafra independence movement originated.
This movement was at the heart of the Nigerian Civil War in the late 1960s, which resulted in significant bloodshed and loss of life. Ekpa is known for his leadership of a faction of IPOB, a separatist group pushing for the creation of the independent Biafra state.
In addition to his separatist activities, Ekpa has also served as a local representative for Finland’s conservative National Coalition Party in Lahti, a city located north of Helsinki. He was a member of the city’s public transport committee.
When Ekpa was arrested, Finnish authorities also sought the detention of four other individuals suspected of financing his activities.
However, the prosecution authority announced on Friday that charges against the four suspects had been dropped due to a lack of evidence.