Former local politician Simon Ekpa (right), formerly representing the National Coalition Party in Lahti, alongside his lawyer Kaarle Gummerus at a preparatory hearing of the Päijät-Häme District Court in Lahti on 30 May 2025. Photo: Emmi Korhonen / Lehtikuva
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The Päijät-Häme District Court in Finland has sentenced Simon Ekpa, a Nigerian-born former Lahti councillor, to six years in prison after convicting him of terrorism-related crimes, aggravated tax fraud, and breaching Finland’s Lawyers Act.
The ruling, delivered on Monday 1 September, found that Ekpa played a central role in promoting separatist violence in Nigeria’s Biafra region between August 2021 and November 2024. Judges concluded that he used his large following on social media to incite crimes with terrorist intent and to strengthen a movement seeking independence for Biafra.
According to court documents, Ekpa helped establish and equip armed groups with weapons, explosives and ammunition. The panel of three judges said he acted as a politically influential figure who exploited divisions within the separatist movement to assume a leading role.
The court also heard that he encouraged his followers on the social media platform X to commit crimes in Nigeria. Although he denied all charges, the court ordered that he remain in custody.
In addition to the terrorism offences, Ekpa was found guilty of aggravated tax fraud and of unlawfully offering legal services. An investigation by Yle revealed he had operated a firm, Ekpa & Co Oy, which provided immigration and family law advice without a valid licence. His former wife, a qualified lawyer, handled much of the legal work, but Ekpa presented himself as a practising attorney despite lacking authorisation.
Ekpa, 40, was born in Ebonyi State in southeastern Nigeria. He first came to prominence as a track athlete, winning a silver medal at the 2003 African U20 Championships before naturalising as a Finnish citizen in 2009. A knee injury ended his career, and he later entered local politics, serving briefly as a councillor in Lahti for the National Coalition Party.
He became known internationally as a supporter of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob), which Nigeria designates a terrorist organisation. After Kanu’s arrest in 2021, Ekpa was chosen to continue broadcasting to Ipob supporters on Radio Biafra. He later split from the group, forming his own faction known as “Auto-Pilot,” which continued to campaign for Biafran independence.
Finnish authorities arrested Ekpa in November 2024 after a lengthy investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation. Charges were initially considered against four other men, but were dropped due to insufficient evidence.
The trial lasted 12 hearing days between May and June 2025. All three judges on the panel agreed on the verdict.
The sentence is not final and can be appealed to a higher court.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
