Simon Ekpa charged with terrorism

Finland-based separatist campaigner and self-acclaimed prime minister of the Biafra Government in Exile, Simon Ekpa, has been charged with public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent and participation in a terrorist group.

Ekpa, who has been in detention since November last year, has been the subject of Finnish and Nigerian police investigations for allegedly “disseminating separatist propaganda that has led to violence” in the Southeast of Nigeria, Yle, a Finnish news outlet, reports.

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.

Ekpa is accused of committing the crimes between August 2021 and November 2024.

Ekpa is facing charges for allegedly spreading separatist propaganda from his home in Lahti, Finland. His activities are believed to have led to violence and other crimes against civilians and authorities in southeastern Nigeria.

According to the prosecutor, the charges relate to his activities aimed at re-establishing an independent state in Nigeria’s Biafra region.

The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation initially detained five persons, including Ekpa. Four suspected of providing financing for terrorist offences were released during the preliminary investigation.