Finland Court Upholds Simon Ekpa’s Conviction, Reduces Jail Term to Four Years

A Finnish Court of Appeal has reduced the prison sentence of pro-Biafra agitator Simon Ekpa from six years to four years while upholding his conviction on terrorism-related charges.

According to Finnish public broadcaster Yle, the court upheld the earlier ruling by the Päijät-Häme District Court, which found Ekpa guilty of participating in a terrorist organisation and publicly inciting crimes for terrorist purposes.

The charges were linked to his alleged activities aimed at establishing an independent Biafran state in southeastern Nigeria, a region that briefly declared independence in 1967 before the Nigerian Civil War ended the secessionist movement in 1970.

The appeal court reportedly reduced the sentence after considering the circumstances surrounding Ekpa’s activities. It noted that the situation in southeastern Nigeria closely resembled a civil war but did not meet the legal definition of one.

Ekpa had argued during the appeal that his involvement in the political crisis in the region was not motivated by terrorist intentions.

Meanwhile, the prosecution had also appealed the original judgment, arguing that the six-year prison sentence was insufficient considering the seriousness of the offences.

However, the latest ruling is not final, as it can still be challenged before a higher court.

The case concerns Ekpa’s activities between August 2021 and November 2024. The district court found that he had used his significant social media following to intensify tensions in the Biafra region as part of efforts to establish an independent state.

The court also found him guilty of aggravated tax fraud and violating provisions of Finland’s Lawyers Act. Additionally, it ruled that he had supplied armed groups with weapons, explosives and ammunition through his network of contacts and encouraged his followers on X, formerly Twitter, to commit crimes in Nigeria.

Ekpa denied the charges during his trial.

He moved from Nigeria to Finland in 2007 and is a long-term resident of Lahti, where he previously served on the city council as a representative of the National Coalition Party.

His arrest in Finland in November 2024 followed investigations into alleged separatist activities connected to the campaign for an independent Biafran state.

In September 2025, the Päijät-Häme District Court sentenced him to six years in prison after convicting him of terrorism-related offences and other crimes.

Biafra declared independence from Nigeria in 1967, triggering a civil war that lasted until January 1970, when the secessionist bid collapsed.

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