JUST IN: Finnish Court Sentences IPOB Kingpin Simon Ekpa to Six Years in Prison for Terrorism

A district court in Finland has sentenced Simon Ekpa, a senior figure of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to six years in prison after finding him guilty of terrorism-related offences.

Ekpa was arrested on 21 November 2024 by Finnish authorities following a lengthy investigation by the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). He was accused of using social media platforms to incite terrorism and promote violence, actions that authorities said fueled unrest and insecurity in southeastern Nigeria.

The Päijät-Häme District Court, which handled the case, ruled that Ekpa’s activities amounted to “public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent,” offences committed between August 2021 and November 2024. During the trial, Finnish authorities also froze his financial assets as well as those belonging to his associates and companies linked to him.

Ekpa, who has been a controversial figure in Nigeria’s separatist struggle, was accused of masterminding and promoting the so-called “sit-at-home” orders in the Southeast, which were frequently marked by violence, killings, and economic disruption.

Back in Nigeria, IPOB’s founder and leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is also facing terrorism charges. He remains in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja following his re-arrest in 2021.

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Background on Simon Ekpa

Simon Ekpa is a Finnish-Nigerian lawyer, politician, and former athlete based in Lahti, Finland. He once represented Finland in athletics before venturing into politics, where he served as a local councillor under the National Coalition Party.

Ekpa gained prominence within IPOB after the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu in 2021, presenting himself as a leading voice of the separatist struggle from abroad. Through regular online broadcasts and social media posts, he issued instructions to IPOB supporters, including enforcement of stay-at-home orders that paralyzed social and economic life in parts of Nigeria’s Southeast.

His activities, often linked to rising insecurity in the region, attracted criticism from the Nigerian government, civil society groups, and international observers. Despite being thousands of miles away in Finland, Ekpa wielded considerable influence through digital platforms.

The conviction in Finland marks a significant development in efforts to curtail the global reach of IPOB’s propaganda and violent directives. It also signals growing international cooperation in tackling cross-border terrorism and extremist activities.