The Department of State Services (DSS) confirmed on Friday that Biafran separatist leader, Simon Ekpa, has been officially charged in Finland with terrorism-related offences after being detained for about six months.
This development follows a report by Naijaonpoint earlier, which revealed that Finnish authorities had filed formal charges against Ekpa for his involvement in inciting terrorism and participating in the activities of a terrorist group.
Ekpa, who was arrested by Finnish security agencies in November 2024, faces charges of “inciting terrorism and participating in the activities of a terrorist group.”
According to Finland’s National Prosecution Authority, the charges relate to “public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent and participation in the activities of a terrorist group.”
These alleged crimes took place in Lahti, Finland, between 2021 and 2024 and are reportedly connected to Ekpa’s efforts to establish the Biafra region as an independent state.
Although Finnish authorities have not disclosed the suspect’s identity, local public broadcaster YLE confirmed that the individual in question is Simon Ekpa.
Ekpa, who claims to lead the Biafra Republic’s government in exile, has denied the charges. He remains in custody as legal proceedings unfold.
The dual Finnish-Nigerian citizen also serves as a local representative for Finland’s conservative National Coalition Party in Lahti, where he holds a position on a public transport committee.
Ekpa is widely known as the self-proclaimed leader of a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which has long been advocating for the independence of Nigeria’s southeastern region, a territory that experienced a brutal civil war in the late 1960s.
At the time of Ekpa’s arrest, Finnish authorities sought the detention of four other individuals on suspicion of financially supporting Ekpa’s activities. However, the prosecution authority later released them due to insufficient evidence to press charges.
The DSS, in a chat with Vanguard, confirmed that, “The charges were filed today (Friday morning) as scheduled. The case will be heard in Päijät-Häme District Court in Lahti. A hearing date has not yet been set. Ekpa is suspected of committing the crimes between August 2021 and November 2024.”
Furthermore, the DSS revealed that Ekpa is accused of spreading separatist propaganda from his home in Lahti, Finland. Finnish police, working in collaboration with Nigerian authorities, continue to investigate Ekpa’s activities, which are believed to have incited violence and other crimes against civilians and government officials in southeastern Nigeria.