The trial’s outcome could impact separatist movements and international efforts to combat cross-border incitement and terrorism
Simon Ekpa To Face Terrorism Charges In Finnish Court June 2025
Simon Ekpa, a prominent pro-Biafran separatist leader who claims the title of “Prime Minister” of the Biafra Republic Government-in-Exile, will face trial in Finland in June 2025 on terrorism-related charges, Finnish authorities announced. Arrested in November 2024 alongside four others, Ekpa is accused of inciting violence and financing terrorism.
Finnish police allege that Ekpa used social media to promote violence in Nigeria’s South-East, targeting civilians and authorities. His online activities, including fundraising, prompted a months-long investigation.
The Päijät-Häme District Court ordered his detention in 2024, and Finnish officials have frozen his assets, along with those of 16 others linked to suspected terror activities, citing threats to national and global security.
Ekpa, now represented by lawyer Kaarle Gummerus after parting ways with Ilkka Kopra, is preparing for the trial. Gummerus told BBC Pidgin that he is reviewing pre-trial documents to shape their defense strategy.
A polarizing figure in the Biafra independence movement, which seeks a separate state for Nigeria’s Igbo people, Ekpa’s actions have sparked debate in Nigeria and beyond.
The trial’s outcome could impact separatist movements and international efforts to combat cross-border incitement and terrorism. Read More
