Finland charges Simon Ekpa with online terrorism incitement
Finnish prosecutors on Friday said they have charged Simon Ekpa, a Nigerian separatist leader, with inciting terrorism through online platforms.
The National Prosecution Authority of Finland made a statement indicating that a Finnish individual has been charged with suspected public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent, as well as participation in the activities of a terrorist group.
The alleged offences reportedly took place in the city of Lahti from 2021 to 2024, stemming from Ekpa’s efforts to secure the independence of Nigeria’s Biafra region. While the prosecution did not explicitly name the accused, Finnish public broadcaster YLE confirmed the identity of Ekpa.
Ekpa, who claims to head the Biafra Republic’s government in exile, was arrested in November and has been in custody since. He has denied the charges levelled against him. As a figure associated with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a group advocating for the independence of Nigeria’s southeast—historically marked by a devastating civil war in the late 1960s—Ekpa’s activities have attracted significant scrutiny.
Finnish authorities, however, disclosed that they aimed to detain four other individuals suspected of financing Ekpa’s initiatives, saying charges against these four were dismissed due to a lack of evidence.
Source: PUNCH
