Finland jails Nigerian secessionist activist
A Finnish court has sentenced Simon Ekpa, an alleged leader of a Nigerian secessionist movement, to six years in prison for terrorism. But back home, activists have warned of a “smokescreen campaign” to derail the trial of the group’s actual leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Ekpa, who lives in Finland, was found guilty of attempting “to promote the independence of the so-called Biafra region in south-eastern Nigeria by illegal means,” according to court documents obtained by BBC News Pidgin on August 1.
The Päijät-Häme District Court ruled that the supposed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) supplied armed groups with weapons and explosives. Ekpa denies the charges.
South-eastern Nigeria has long been marked by instability. The IPOB, banned in Nigeria, seeks an independent homeland for the Igbo ethnic group, citing opression that goes back to the 1960s. The original Biafran secession sparked a three-year war that left more than a million people dead from fighting, starvation, and lack of medical care.
According to Finnish courts, between August 2021 and November 2024, Ekpa used social media to spread violent messages. “We identified him as one of the ‘media warriors’ of IPOB, pushing messages that called for attacks,” a BBC investigation reported in 2022.
From his home abroad, he was able to mobilize followers in Nigeria, prompting the government in Abuja to call for his extradition. In March 2024, the army listed Ekpa and 96 others as wanted for terrorism, violent extremism, and secessionist threats.
“This isn’t just a legal matter,” said a security analyst familiar with the case. “It shows how transnational networks can inflame local conflicts and destabilize regions, even from afar.”
Reacting to Ekpa’s conviction, IPOB issued a statement on September 1, through spokesperson Emma Powerful, rejecting any connection between the group and Ekpa.
“IPOB issues this urgent rebuttal to the false and malicious attempt by the Nigerian government and its compromised media collaborators to link the conviction of Simon Ekpa in Finland to IPOB’s lawful activities,” Powerful said. “This is a brazen fraud against truth and justice. Finnish records clearly establish that Ekpa is not a member of IPOB.”
The group also called on the United Nations to intervene, warning that ignoring a “weaponised judiciary” equates to complicity. “The Nigerian government is persecuting a self-determination leader in violation of the UN Charter. Simon Ekpa’s conviction is his burden and his alone. IPOB will never carry it,” the statement concluded.
The BBC/ Daily Champion/ Maghrebi
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