Finnish court reduces Simon Ekpa’s six-year jail term

A Finnish appeal court has reduced Simon Ekpa’s prison sentence from six years to four while upholding his conviction on terrorism-related charges. Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported on Thursday, October 15, that the court upheld findings that the pro-Biafran agitator participated in a terrorist organisation and publicly incited crimes for terrorist purposes.

The Päijät-Häme District Court sentenced Ekpa to six years in September 2025 after convicting him of terrorism-related offences, aggravated tax fraud and violations of the Lawyers Act. According to Yle, the appeal court reduced the sentence after considering the circumstances surrounding his activities. It said conditions in south-eastern Nigeria’s Biafra region closely resembled a civil war but did not meet the definition of one.

Ekpa argued during the appeal that his involvement in the region’s political turmoil was not motivated by terrorist intent. The prosecutor also challenged the original judgment, arguing that the six-year sentence did not adequately reflect the seriousness of the offences.

Thursday’s ruling is not final and remains open to appeal before a higher court. The case concerned Ekpa’s activities between August 2021 and November 2024. The district court found that he used his substantial social media following to fuel tensions in south-eastern Nigeria as part of efforts to establish an independent Biafran state.

It also found that he supplied armed groups with weapons, explosives and ammunition through his contacts and encouraged followers on X to commit crimes in Nigeria. Ekpa denied the charges during his trial. He was arrested in Finland in November 2024 following investigations into alleged separatist activities.

Ekpa moved from Nigeria to Finland in 2007 and is a long-term resident of Lahti, where he previously served on the city council representing the National Coalition Party. Biafra declared independence from Nigeria in 1967, leading to a civil war that ended in 1970 with the collapse of the secessionist bid.