Simon Ekpa has been charged with inciting terrorism by Finland’s National Prosecution Authority in connection with efforts to establish an independent state of Biafra in Nigeria.
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The Finnish prosecutors disclosed this on Friday in a statement stating that it had charged ä Finnish individual in a case involving suspected public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent and participation in the activities of a terrorist group.”
While authorities did not disclose the name of the accused, Finnish public broadcaster, YLE, reported that the individual is Simon Ekpa, a dual Finnish-Nigerian national and self-proclaimed leader of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile.
The alleged offences occurred in the city of Lahti, a city of 121,000 people, the regional capital of Paijat-Hame, and about 100 kilometers north-east of the capital city Helsinki. He is suspected of spreading separatist propaganda from his home in Lahti.
The Finnish publisher reported that Ekpa, “a 40-year-old Nigerian-born entrepreneur, is still listed as a member of the city’s public transit board, representing Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s National Coalition Party. He has formerly served on three other local administrative boards.”
The charges are part of a larger investigation during which the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation detained five people. Four of them were suspected of providing financing for terrorist offences. These four were released during the preliminary investigation.
The charges were filed on Friday morning. The case will be heard in Päijät-Häme District Court in Lahti. A hearing date has not yet been set.
Simon Ekpa describes himself on his X Page as the Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government in-Exile, a human rights activist, CEO, senior Legal advisor at Ekpa & Co Oy, and a Finnish Politician.
Ekpa was arrested in November 2024, and remains in custody. He has denied committing any crimes.
Nnamdi Maduakor is a Writer, Investor and Entrepreneur
