A Finnish court has sentenced controversial Biafra agitator Simon Ekpa to a six-year prison term after finding him guilty of terrorism-related charges. The Päijät-Häme District Court delivered its verdict on Monday, ruling that Ekpa had participated in a terrorist organization and publicly incited crimes with a terrorist purpose.
The charges, according to Yle, a Finnish Newspaper stem from Ekpa’s activities between August 2021 and November 2024, which were aimed at re-establishing the independent state of Biafra in southeastern Nigeria. According to the court, Ekpa, a long-term resident of the Finnish city of Lahti, used his extensive social media following to fuel tensions and encourage followers on platforms like X to commit crimes in Nigeria.
The court’s verdict noted that Ekpa was an influential member of a Biafran separatist movement that had armed groups seeking to achieve independence by force. It further found that he had supplied these groups with weapons, explosives, and ammunition through his network in the region.
Ekpa, who moved to Finland in 2007 as an athlete and once served as a local councillor, denied all the charges during the trial. The court also convicted him of aggravated tax fraud.
The verdict is not yet final and can be appealed to a higher court.
