Simon Ekpa Challenges Six-Year Finland Jail Term

Pro-Biafra separatist campaigner Simon Ekpa has appealed his six-year prison sentence handed down by a Finnish court over terrorism-related offences.

The Finnish prosecutor handling the case has also appealed the sentence, arguing that the punishment imposed on Ekpa was insufficient and seeking a longer prison term.

According to BBC Pidgin, the Finnish Court of Appeal is expected to hear the appeals within the next three weeks.
Ekpa was arrested by Finnish authorities in November 2024 and subsequently charged with inciting terrorism and participating in the activities of a terrorist group.

In September 2025, the Päijät-Häme District Court convicted and sentenced him to six years in prison after finding him guilty of the offences.

The court held that Ekpa had used his significant social media following to escalate tensions in Nigeria’s South-East between August 2021 and November 2024.
It also found him to be an influential member of a militant separatist movement seeking to establish an independent Biafra state in Nigeria.

The Finnish court further ruled that Ekpa had supplied certain groups in Nigeria with weapons, explosives and ammunition through his network of contacts.

It also found that he encouraged his followers on X, formerly Twitter, to commit crimes in Nigeria.
Apart from the terrorism-related offences, Ekpa was convicted of aggravated tax fraud and violating provisions of Finland’s Attorneys Act.

The separatist campaigner has described himself as a disciple of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
In March 2025, the Nigerian Federal Government designated Ekpa as a “terrorism financier.”

Both Ekpa’s appeal and the prosecutor’s bid for a longer sentence will now be considered by the Finnish Court of Appeal.