Simon Ekpa, the pro-Biafra agitator, has been sentenced to six years in prison by a Finnish court.
The ruling came on Monday, September 1, from the Päijät-Häme District Court in Finland.
Ekpa, 40, once served as a municipal politician in Lahti. He was found guilty of terrorism-related offences, tax fraud, and violating Finland’s Lawyers Act.
Ekpa denied all charges.
He was arrested in December 2024 after Finnish authorities accused him of inciting violence and spreading separatist propaganda online.
The court said he must remain in custody.
Court Says Ekpa Fuelled Armed Separatist Movement
According to the court, Ekpa promoted the independence of the Biafra region in southeastern Nigeria through illegal means.
Between August 2021 and November 2024, he allegedly used social media to build influence and take control of a separatist movement.
“He used social media to gain a politically influential position and exploited the confusion within a key separatist movement in Nigeria,” the court said.
On August 31, 2025, the judges ruled that Ekpa helped structure the movement into an organised group.
They said he supplied weapons, explosives, and ammunition to armed factions linked to the group.
He also encouraged followers on X (formerly Twitter) to commit crimes in Nigeria.
The court described these factions as terrorist organisations.
Trial Lasted 12 Days, Verdict Was Unanimous
The trial ran from May 30 to June 25, 2025.
It lasted 12 days and involved a panel of three judges.
All three judges agreed on the verdict.
Ekpa’s lawyers argued that he was exercising free speech and political activism.
But the court said his actions went beyond speech and involved direct support for violence.
At the time of his arrest, Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation also pursued four other suspects.
However, charges against them were dropped due to lack of evidence.
Ekpa’s sentencing has drawn attention across Nigeria and Europe.
It is unclear how the pro-Biafra community has received this news, and what moral impact it might have on an even bigger case involving the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, himself standing trial in Nigeria since 2021.
Ekpa styles himself as the Prime Minister of the Biafran Government in Exile, and under the nose of the Finnish government, held countless advocacy meetings and events.
He is a former US Marine and is married to a Finnish woman.
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