Terrorism: Simon Ekpa bags six-year jail term in Finland

The controversial Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, has been sentenced to six years in prison the Päijät-Häme District Court in Finland after finding him guilty of terrorism-related charges.

Penpushing reports that Ekpa it is recalled was arrested alongside four others on 21 November 2024 on suspicion of terrorist activities, while the Finnish police had said that he (Ekpa) contributed to violence and crimes against civilians in South-Eastern Nigeria.

The District Court of Päijät-Häme later ordered that the pro-Biafra agitator, a Nigerian-Finnish citizen, be imprisoned with probable cause on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.

Penpushing further reports that Ekpa heads Autopilot, a faction of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). a group leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra, which it wants carved out from the South-East and some parts of the South-South Nigeria.

The 40-year-old Biafra agitator, hours after his arrest, was disowned by the IPOB faction loyal to Nnamdi Kanu faction of outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), declaring that he was never its member.

Penpushing also reports that the Finnish police said Ekpa allegedly committed the crimes between August 23,2021 and November 18, 2024 in Lahti, a town in Finland, adding that he collected money in violation of the Finnish Money Collection Act.

The accused in his first appearance in court on May 30, 2025, denied terrorism charges against him, however, the four other suspects were later released during preliminary investigation.

Penpushing reports the court on Monday ruling declared that Ekpa had participated in a terrorist organisation and had publicly incited crimes for terrorist purposes, and equally held that he had used his significant social media following to stoke tensions in the Biafra region between August 2021 and November 2024.

The Finnish court also ruled that Ekpa was an influential member of a Biafran separatist movement, which established armed groups aimed at bringing about Biafran independence by force.

Penpushing further reports that the court equally held that Ekpa had supplied these groups with weapons, explosives, and ammunition through his network of contacts in the region, and he was also found to have encouraged his followers on his X handle to commit crimes in Nigeria.

The court in same vein, ruled that Ekpa committed the offences from Lahti, a city in Finland where he stays, and argued that the implication was that the court had jurisdiction in the case, and apart from terrorism, he was also convicted of “aggravated tax fraud,”

 Penpushing also reports that the district court’s verdict is not final, while the court can still challenge the sentence at a higher court.

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