Finnish prosecutors have formally charged a man with inciting terrorism online, a suspect identified by local media as Nigerian separatist figure Simon Ekpa.
In a statement issued Friday, Finland’s National Prosecution Authority confirmed that a Finnish citizen has been charged with public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent and participation in the activities of a terrorist organization.
The charges stem from alleged offenses committed in Lahti between 2021 and 2024, reportedly linked to efforts to establish the Biafra region of Nigeria as an independent state. While the prosecution authority did not name the suspect, Finland’s public broadcaster YLE has confirmed the individual as Ekpa.
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Ekpa, who identifies himself as the leader of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile, was detained in November 2024 and remains in custody. He has denied all charges, according to the prosecution.
A dual citizen of Finland and Nigeria, Ekpa is affiliated with a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist movement advocating for the independence of southeastern Nigeria, which was the center of the 1967–1970 Biafran civil war. He has also been active in Finnish politics, serving as a local representative for the conservative National Coalition Party in Lahti, where he held a position on the city’s public transport committee.
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Following Ekpa’s arrest, Finnish authorities sought the detention of four other individuals suspected of financing his activities. However, prosecutors announced Friday that those charges were dropped due to a lack of sufficient evidence.
Ekpa has previously been the subject of several fact-checks by Agence France-Presse (AFP) for disseminating false or misleading information in support of Biafra independence efforts.
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