Finnish authorities have officially charged Biafran separatist leader Simon Ekpa with terrorism-related offenses after detaining him for approximately six months.
Ekpa was initially arrested in November 2024 by Finnish security agencies over allegations of terrorism.
He was formally charged on Friday, with Finnish prosecutors accusing him of “inciting terrorism and participating in the activities of a terrorist group.”
According to Finland’s National Prosecution Authority, the charges involve “public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent and participation in the activities of a terrorist group.”
The alleged crimes were committed in the city of Lahti between 2021 and 2024, reportedly linked to Ekpa’s efforts to establish Nigeria’s Biafra region as an independent state.
Although the prosecution authority did not disclose the suspect’s name, Finnish public broadcaster YLE confirmed his identity as Simon Ekpa.
Ekpa, who claims to lead the Biafra Republic’s government in exile, has denied the allegations. He remains in custody as the legal process unfolds.
The dual Finnish-Nigerian citizen also serves as a local representative for Finland’s conservative National Coalition Party in Lahti, a city north of Helsinki, where he has held a position on a public transport committee.
Ekpa is widely known as a self-proclaimed leader of a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra, which has long advocated for the independence of Nigeria’s southeast—a region that experienced a brutal civil war in the late 1960s.
At the time of Ekpa’s arrest, Finnish authorities also sought the detention of four additional suspects over alleged financial support for Ekpa’s activities. However, the prosecution authority later released them due to insufficient evidence to press charges.
According to Vanguard, the Department of State Services in Abuja confirmed on Friday that Ekpa had indeed been charged in Finland.
“The charges were filed today (Friday morning) as scheduled. The case will be heard in Päijät-Häme District Court in Lahti. A hearing date has not yet been set. Ekpa is suspected of committing the crimes between August 2021 and November 2024,” the DSS stated.
The DSS further revealed that Ekpa is accused of “spreading separatist propaganda from his home in Lahti.” Finnish police, in collaboration with Nigerian authorities, are continuing their investigation. Ekpa’s activities are believed to have incited violence and other crimes against civilians and government officials in southeastern Nigeria.