The much-anticipated trial of Simon Ekpa, a self-styled Biafra agitator, began on Friday at the Päijät-Häme District Court in Finland, with prosecutors levelling charges of “public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent” and “participation in a terrorist group” against him.
Okay.ng reports that Ekpa, who has been a polarising figure in Nigeria’s southeast region due to his separatist rhetoric, denied all charges during prior police investigations.
According to Finnish broadcaster Yle, the Nigerian-Finnish activist appeared in court alongside his lawyer, Kaarle Gummerus, as proceedings commenced. The state prosecutor is pushing for a minimum prison sentence of six years for the accused.
Sampsa Hakala, the Finnish state prosecutor, told Yle before the preparatory hearing that, “We have a lot of evidence of this person’s activities on the internet and his communications. So far, it’s a pretty good picture of what we think happened in this matter.”
However, Hakala admitted that gathering precise information about the alleged terrorist acts was “challenging” due to the incidents occurring in Africa.
Ekpa’s defence lawyer, Gummerus, strongly questioned the credibility of information sourced from Nigeria, arguing that the court proceedings will determine whether his client’s actions directly led to violent events in Nigeria’s southeast geopolitical zone.
“My client has denied the terrorism charges,” Gummerus said after the session.
Okay.ng reports that the prosecution also tendered Ekpa’s X (formerly Twitter) posts as evidence during the main hearing, highlighting his use of social media to propagate messages linked to unrest in Nigeria.
In addition to the terrorism-related accusations, Finnish authorities have filed separate charges against Ekpa, involving “suspicion of aggravated tax fraud and violation of the provisions of the Attorneys Act.”
Meanwhile, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has reacted strongly to the timing of the trial. In a statement on Monday, IPOB condemned the decision to hold the court session on May 30, 2025—a day the group observes in remembrance of Biafra war victims.
The group, however, distanced itself from Ekpa, stating that he “is not a member of IPOB” and had already been publicly disowned by its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
