Finnish prosecutors have charged a man, widely identified as Nigerian separatist leader Simon Ekpa, with public incitement to terrorism and participation in a terrorist group, according to a Friday announcement by Finland’s National Prosecution Authority.
Though the suspect’s name was not officially released, Finnish public broadcaster YLE confirmed the man as Ekpa, a dual Finnish-Nigerian national and prominent figure in the Biafra independence movement.
The charges stem from alleged offences committed in Lahti, southern Finland, between 2021 and 2024.
Authorities claim the accused used online platforms to incite criminal acts and promote efforts to establish an independent Biafra state in southeastern Nigeria, a region that witnessed a brutal civil war in the late 1960s.
Ekpa, who describes himself as the Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile, was detained in November 2024.
He has denied all charges and remains in custody.
The self-styled leader is known to represent a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which has been banned in Nigeria and labelled a terrorist organisation by the government.
He also previously served as a local transport committee member for Finland’s conservative National Coalition Party in Lahti.
In connection with his arrest, Finnish authorities had initially sought the remand of four additional individuals suspected of financing his activities.
However, prosecutors said Friday that those charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Ekpa has drawn international scrutiny in recent years for spreading disinformation, with several claims debunked by AFP’s fact-checking teams.
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