The Päijät-Häme District Court in Finland has sentenced Nigerian-born pro-Biafra activist Simon Ekpa to six years in prison for terrorism-related offences.
In a ruling delivered on Monday, the court found Ekpa guilty of inciting terrorism and participating in the activities of a terrorist organisation.
According to Finnish newspaper Yle, the court held that Ekpa exploited his large social media following to fuel unrest in Nigeria’s South-East region between August 2021 and November 2024.
The court also convicted him of aggravated tax fraud.
In a unanimous decision, the three-judge panel described Ekpa as a key figure in a militant separatist movement seeking the secession of a Biafran state from Nigeria. The court found that he had used his network of contacts in the region to supply weapons, explosives, and ammunition to the group.
Additionally, the court stated that Ekpa encouraged his followers on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to commit crimes in Nigeria.
Ekpa, a long-time resident of Lahti and former local councillor, was found to have orchestrated these activities from within Finland—giving the Finnish judiciary jurisdiction over the case.
He denied all charges during the trial.
The verdict is subject to appeal and is not yet final.
Ekpa originally moved to Finland in 2007 as an athlete.
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