By Obinna Uballa
The Päijät-Häme District Court in Finland has sentenced pro-Biafra agitator Simon Ekpa to six years in prison after finding him guilty of terrorism-related offences.
Ekpa was convicted on charges of inciting terrorism and participating in the activities of a terrorist organisation, a verdict that marks a dramatic turn in his controversial activism.
He was arrested by Finnish authorities on November 21, 2024, after a sweeping investigation by the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) linked him to campaigns of violence and unrest in Nigeria’s Southeast.
The probe uncovered evidence that Ekpa, through his social media platforms, urged attacks, fuelled violent agitation and promoted terror activities tied to separatist movements in Nigeria’s southeast.
Finnish investigators believe his actions directly contributed to escalating bloodshed in the region.
Following his arrest, the Päijät-Häme court had remanded him in custody, citing strong grounds for the charge of “public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent”, covering offences committed between August 2021 and November 2024.
In a move to dismantle his network, the NBI reportedly also froze Ekpa’s assets and those of his associates and affiliated companies, choking financial flows linked to the alleged terror campaign.
