Screenshot of the social media X page of Lahti politician Simon Ekpa. Photo: Lehtikuva
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A municipal politician in the Finnish city of Lahti has been formally charged with terrorism-related offences linked to separatist activities in Nigeria. Simon Ekpa, 40, faces charges of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent and participation in a terrorist group.
Ekpa, originally from Nigeria and now a Finnish citizen, is affiliated with Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s National Coalition Party (NCP). He is listed as a member of Lahti’s public transport board and has previously held seats on three other local administrative bodies.
According to the Finnish Prosecution Service, the charges stem from activities aimed at promoting the re-establishment of Biafra, a region in southeastern Nigeria that briefly declared independence in the late 1960s. Authorities believe that propaganda disseminated by Ekpa contributed to violence and criminal acts against civilians and public officials in Nigeria.
The Deputy Prosecutor General filed the charges on Friday morning. The case will be heard in the Päijät-Häme District Court in Lahti, although a trial date has not yet been scheduled.
Ekpa is suspected of committing the offences over a three-year period, from August 2021 to November 2024. He was arrested in Finland last November and remains in custody. He denies all allegations.
The case is part of a broader investigation led by the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which involved close coordination with Nigerian authorities. During the probe, five people were detained. Four were suspected of financing terrorism-related activity but were released during the preliminary investigation.
Ekpa is believed to have coordinated and broadcast separatist messaging from his home in Lahti. Police allege that his public statements and online broadcasts served to incite unrest and violence in Nigeria’s Biafra region, where tensions between separatist groups and the central government remain high.
Finnish law allows prosecution for terrorist offences committed abroad if the suspect is a Finnish resident or citizen, or if the crime has wider international implications.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
