Simon Ekpa Sentenced To Six Years In Prison For Terrorism, Tax Fraud

A District Court in Finland has sentenced the self-proclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra Government in Exile, Simon Ekpa, to six years in prison for terrorism-related offences, aggravated tax fraud, and breaches of the Attorneys Act.

The court ruled that between 2021 and 2024, Ekpa provided armed groups in Nigeria’s southeast with weapons, explosives, and ammunition through his network, in pursuit of Biafra’s independence by unlawful means.

His actions were deemed participation in a terrorist group and public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent.

Prosecutors also presented evidence that Ekpa used social media and online platforms to incite violence in the region, directly linking his campaigns to unrest in the southeast.

The trial, which ran from May 30 to June 25, 2025, included 12 days of hearings, with a panel of three judges unanimously delivering the verdict.

According to the ruling reported by a Finnish newspaper, Yle, the three-member panel of judges, in a unanimous ruling, also stated that Ekpa was an influential member of a militant separatist movement whose goal was to actualise the secession of a Biafran state from Nigeria.

The district court, as reported by Yle, further stated that Ekpa supplied these groups with “weapons, explosives, and ammunition” through his network of contacts in the region, and that he was also found to have encouraged his followers on the social media platform X to “commit crimes” in Nigeria.

A long-term resident of Lahti and one-time local councillor, Ekpa reportedly committed the crimes from the Finnish city, according to the verdict, giving the Finnish court jurisdiction in the case.

He had denied all the charges in court.

However, the district court’s verdict is not final, as it can be appealed to a higher court.

Ekpa was arrested in December 2024 after Finnish authorities accused him of spreading separatist propaganda and inciting violence through social media.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has described the conviction of Simon Ekpa for terrorism-related offences and other charges by a Finnish Court as “a major victory” against terrorism.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated this while reacting to Ekpa’s sentencing to six years in prison by the Päijät-Häme District Court in Finland on Monday.

“We welcome the news of Simon Ekpa’s conviction by a Finnish court for terrorism-related crimes and his sentencing to six years in prison.

A major victory for the Nigerian people in the collective fight against terror,” Mohammed wrote on his official handle on X.