Lahti, Finland – Finnish prosecutors have officially charged a dual Finnish-Nigerian citizen, widely reported to be Simon Ekpa, with inciting terrorism and promoting the activities of a terrorist organization.
According to a statement released on Friday by Finland’s National Prosecution Authority, the accused faces charges of “public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent” and “participation in the activities of a terrorist group.” The alleged offenses reportedly occurred between 2021 and 2024 in the city of Lahti.
While the statement did not directly name Ekpa, Finnish public broadcaster YLE identified him as the individual at the center of the case.
Ekpa, a controversial figure who has declared himself the leader of the self-styled “Biafra Republic Government in Exile,” has long been associated with calls for the secession of Nigeria’s southeastern region — the former Biafra territory. This same region was the epicenter of the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970), a conflict that left over a million dead.
Finnish authorities previously detained Ekpa in November and have confirmed that he remains in custody. He has denied all charges.
Ekpa is linked to a faction of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), an organization the Nigerian government has labelled a terrorist group. He has also served as a local political figure in Lahti, representing Finland’s conservative National Coalition Party on the city’s public transport committee.
Earlier investigations led to the arrest of four other individuals suspected of financing Ekpa’s activities. However, Finnish prosecutors announced on Friday that charges against those four have been dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Ekpa has frequently drawn international attention for spreading disinformation and false claims in support of the Biafran separatist movement — some of which have been debunked by global fact-checking agencies.
