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Prosecutors in Finland have pressed terrorism charges against Simon Ekpa, the controversial Biafra agitator and self-proclaimed Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government in exile.
As contained in a statement by Finland’s National Prosecution Authority, the Biafra separatist has been charged with “public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent” and “participation in a terrorist group.”
Finnish media outlet YLE confirmed that the charges were filed at the Päijät-Häme district court on Friday, May 16, 2025.
Finnish Deputy Prosecutor-General, Jukka Rappe, told the publication that the charges are related to Ekpa's activities regarding the establishment of Biafra as an independent state, adding that prosecutors will asses whether what happened online meets the criteria of a crime.
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According to the Deputy Prosecutor-General, the court will determine whether a person who operated information networks from Finland committed terrorist crimes.
While describing the case as “a unique and first case of its kind,” he disclosed that the Finnish government had received documents about it from Nigeria.
However, the court is yet to fix a date for the hearing.
Simon Ekpa has been arrested in Finland on alleged terrorism-related offences
Ekpa's arrest in Finland
The dual Finnish-Nigerian national was arrested in November 2024 by law enforcement in Finland, and subsequently sent to prison by the district court of Päijät-Häme for “spreading terrorist propaganda on social media.”
Ekpa is accused of instigating violence and inciting terror in Nigeria's South-East through his social media pages, which he operated from the Lahti municipality in 2021.
Nigeria's Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, recently denied that the Federal Government had commenced Ekpa's extradition process.
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Ekpa was a local representative for Finland’s conservative National Coalition Party in Lahti, north of Helsinki, where he has served on a public transport committee.
The Biafra separatist is a controversial figure in Nigeria, where he's been fingered for fueling the violent enforcement of the sit-at-home order in the South-East, among other atrocities.