Biafra: Terrorism trial of Simon Ekpa begins in Finland

The district court of Päijät-Häme in Finland has begun hearing the terrorism-related case against pro-Biafra figure Simon Ekpa.

On Friday, Ekpa appeared in court to face charges that include “public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent” as well as “participation in a terrorist group”, according to a report by Finnish media outlet Yle.

Though Ekpa denied all allegations during the investigation phase, the prosecution introduced one of his posts on X (formerly Twitter) as part of the evidence during the proceedings.

He was accompanied by his legal representative, Kaarle Gummerus, while state prosecutor Sampsa Hakala urged the court to impose a minimum prison sentence of six years if a conviction is secured.

Hakala stated that Ekpa is accused of orchestrating or encouraging criminal activities in Nigeria while residing in Finland, specifically through affiliations with a group designated as a terrorist organisation.

“We have a lot of evidence of this person’s activities on the internet and his communications. So far, it’s a pretty good picture of what we think happened in this matter,” Hakala said.

He also noted the difficulty of verifying certain incidents, as the alleged offences were committed outside Europe.

Ekpa’s lawyer challenged the reliability of evidence obtained from Nigeria, arguing that its authenticity could not be confirmed.

In addition to the terrorism-related accusations, Finnish authorities have brought forward separate charges involving “suspicion of aggravated tax fraud and violation of the provisions of the Attorneys Act.”

Meanwhile, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) criticised the decision by Finnish authorities to schedule the trial for May 30—a day the group designates to honour those who died during the Nigerian Civil War.

The separatist group also distanced itself from Ekpa, saying he is not part of its movement and has been disowned by its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu.