A District Court in Finland on Monday sentenced Simon Ekpa, the self-proclaimed Prime Minister of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Government in Exile, to six years imprisonment for terrorism-related offences.
Ekpa, who has been a central figure in the agitation for a separate Biafra state, was arrested by Finnish authorities on November 21, 2024, following a probe by the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). The investigation linked him to incitement of terrorism and promotion of violence through social media, activities that were believed to have contributed to unrest and insecurity in Nigeria’s South-East region.
The Päijät-Häme District Court found Ekpa guilty of “public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent,” covering offences committed between August 2021 and November 2024. In addition to the custodial sentence, the Finnish authorities had earlier frozen his assets as well as those of his associates and related companies.
Ekpa, a Finland-based lawyer and former athlete, rose to prominence in the Biafra separatist movement after the arrest of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, in 2021. From his base in Lahti, Finland, he declared himself the head of the “IPOB Government in Exile” and frequently issued broadcasts calling for civil disobedience, including sit-at-home orders across the South-East.
His directives often paralyzed economic activities in the region, with residents complaining of intimidation, violence, and killings linked to armed groups enforcing his orders. Nigerian security agencies have consistently blamed his broadcasts for escalating insecurity in the zone.
The ruling has sparked reactions in Nigeria. A senior security official in Abuja, who asked not to be named, described the judgment as “a major relief for efforts to restore peace in the South-East,” adding that “Ekpa’s broadcasts from abroad gave cover to criminal gangs terrorizing innocent people.”
Human rights lawyer, Barr. Ifeanyi Okeke, however, said while the conviction was within Finland’s jurisdiction, the Nigerian government must seize the opportunity to “address the root causes of separatist agitations rather than celebrate one man’s imprisonment.”
In Enugu, a trader, Mrs. Ngozi Eze, told reporters that residents of the region were hopeful the judgment would reduce the incessant sit-at-home disruptions. “We just want peace and freedom to do our business without fear,” she said.
Meanwhile, IPOB has not issued an official statement on the conviction as of press time.
The conviction of Simon Ekpa is seen as a landmark in Finland’s crackdown on extremist activities with foreign implications, even as Nigeria continues to grapple with the broader issues of separatism and insecurity.