Simon Ekpa challenges six-year terrorism sentence in Finland
Simon Ekpa, a Biafra nation campaigner, has filed an appeal against his terrorism conviction and prison sentence in Finland.
BBC Pidgin reported that the Finnish prosecutor handling the case is also seeking an increase in his prison term, arguing that the six-year sentence is inadequate for the terrorism-related offences.
The Finnish Court of Appeal is expected to hear the case within the next three weeks.
Ekpa was arrested by Finnish law enforcement authorities in November 2024.
He was subsequently prosecuted over allegations of inciting terrorism and involvement in the activities of a terrorist organisation.
In September 2025, the Päijät-Häme District Court sentenced Ekpa to six years in prison after finding him guilty of terrorism offences.
The court convicted him of inciting terrorism and participating in the activities of a terrorist group.
According to the court, the pro-Biafra activist used his “significant social media following” to heighten tensions in Nigeria’s south-east between August 2021 and November 2024.
It also described Ekpa as an influential figure within a militant separatist movement seeking to establish an independent Biafra state from Nigeria.
The district court further found that Ekpa had provided some groups with weapons, explosives and ammunition “through his network of contacts in the region, and he was also found to have encouraged his followers on social media platform X to commit crimes in Nigeria”.
Ekpa was additionally convicted of aggravated tax fraud and breaching the provisions of the Attorneys Act.
The convicted separatist leader has described himself as a disciple of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
In March 2025, the federal government classified Ekpa as a “terrorism financier”.
