The Finnish government announced on Thursday, November 21, that it has arrested Simon Ekpa and arraigned him in the Päijät-Häme District Court in Finland on terrorism-related charges.
Ekpa, a former United States Marine, resides in Finland with his family. He self-proclaims himself as the Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government In-Exile (BRGIE) and often holds an online cabinet meeting of his government.
His group is one of several that advocates for a separate homeland for the Southeast region of Nigeria as an independent country. BRGIE was preparing to declare the Restoration of the Independent State of Biafra by December 1, 2024. It is unclear if his arrest is connected with the scheduled declaration.
The Finnish Central Criminal Police confirmed it arrested Mr. Ekpa along with four other accomplices in a statement released on November 21.
The police statement identified Ekpa as the main suspect, who was detained “on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.” It said the four other suspects were apprehended “for financing a terrorist crime.“
Crime Commissioner Otto Hiltunen, head of the investigation, stated, “The man has carried out this activity, among other things, on his social media channels.”
The investigation centers on Ekpa’s alleged promotion of violent efforts from Finland, leading to violent crimes in South-Eastern Nigeria. Mr. Ekpa vehemently denies his group is involved in any of the crimes, although he admits to have armed groups he claims were protecting his region from hostile forces.
The Finnish police confirmed that all five suspects were arrested at the beginning of the week, and international cooperation would be crucial in the investigations and trial.
Ekpa, who started out by identifying himself as “Apostle of Nnamdi Kanu” has been a vocal advocate for the restoration of the Biafran Republic and has been critical of the Nigerian government. However, his methods and rhetoric have been controversial, with some accusing him of promoting hate speech. In 2023, he infamously declared, “No elections will be held in Biafran territory.”
The Finnish police temporarily arrested him but later released him, and elections were held.
Nigerian authorities have been requesting the Finnish government to rein in Mr Ekpa and possibly extradite him to Nigeria, but Finland claimed whatever actions it will take must conform to Finnish laws and the suspect’s fundamental rights.
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