A Finnish district court has sentenced Simon Ekpa, a prominent agitator for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to six years imprisonment on terrorism charges.
The Päijät-Häme District Court, in its judgment delivered on Monday, September 1, found Ekpa guilty of inciting terrorism and participating in the operations of a terrorist organisation.
According to Finnish daily Yle, the court established that between August 2021 and November 2024, Ekpa exploited his large social media audience to inflame unrest in Nigeria’s South-East.
The ruling further disclosed that he facilitated the supply of weapons, explosives, and ammunition to armed groups through a network of contacts in the region.
Investigators also determined that Ekpa, who urged his followers on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to engage in violent crimes in Nigeria, carried out the offences from Lahti, the Finnish city where he resides. His activities therefore fell under Finland’s legal jurisdiction.
In addition to the terrorism convictions, the court also found Ekpa guilty of aggravated tax fraud and breaching Finland’s Attorneys Act.
Ekpa, a long-term resident of Finland and a former local councillor in Lahti, denied all charges during the proceedings.