HELSINKI, Finland — Finnish authorities on Friday, May 16, 2025, formally charged Biafran separatist broadcaster, Simon Ekpa with inciting terrorism and involvement in a terrorist group, in a case linked to separatist activities in Nigeria.
Though the suspect was not officially named in the prosecution’s statement, Finnish public broadcaster YLE identified Ekpa, a controversial Nigerian-Finnish activist and self-declared leader of a Biafran government in exile.
The National Prosecution Authority said in a statement that the charges relate to suspected public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent and participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation.
The alleged offences were committed between 2021 and 2024 in the city of Lahti, southern Finland.
“The case involves suspected public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent and participation in the activities of a terrorist group,” the authority said.
The charges are reportedly tied to efforts to establish Nigeria’s Biafra region as an independent state.
Ekpa, who holds dual Nigerian and Finnish citizenship, has denied all charges and remains in custody.
Widely known for his leadership of a breakaway faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Ekpa has drawn global attention for his outspoken separatist agenda and online broadcasts.
IPOB, which has been designated a terrorist organisation by the Nigerian government, seeks the independence of Nigeria’s southeastern region, a territory that was the focus of a devastating civil war between 1967 and 1970.
Ekpa has previously served as a local representative of Finland’s conservative National Coalition Party in Lahti, where he was a member of a public transport committee.
He was detained by Finnish authorities in November 2024 as part of a broader investigation into alleged extremist activities and the financing of separatist campaigns.
At the time of his arrest, authorities also requested the detention of four additional individuals suspected of financially supporting Ekpa’s activities.
However, on Friday, May 16, 2025, the prosecution authority announced that charges against the four had been dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Ekpa has been the subject of numerous fact-checks by international media outlets, including Agence France-Presse, over the spread of disinformation and false claims related to his independence movement.
