Simon Ekpa Seeks Review of Six-Year Finnish Prison Sentence

Simon Ekpa, a Biafran separatist campaigner, is appealing against a six-year prison sentence in Finland for terrorism-related offenses.

Ekpa was convicted by the Päijät-Häme District Court but is appealing the ruling to the Finnish Court of Appeal, with the hearing expected within the next three weeks, the report said.

But the Finnish prosecutor in the case has also appealed, arguing the sentence handed to the Nigerian-born separatist leader was too lenient for the crimes he was convicted of.

Finnish authorities arrested Ekpa in November 2024 following investigations into his activities and alleged ties to violent separatist activities in Nigeria’s Southeast.

He was later tried for crimes relating to incitement to terrorism and involvement in the activities of a terrorist organization.

He was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment by the Päijät-Häme District Court in September 2025.

BBC Pidgin reports that the prosecution is now asking for a harsher sentence and Ekpa is asking the appellate court to overturn or lessen the punishment.

Ekpa used his large social media following to promote activities that heightened tensions in Nigeria’s Southeast, the Finnish court said in its ruling.

The court said the separatist campaigner used his “significant social media following” to fuel tensions in the region between August 2021 and November 2024.

Ekpa was described in the judgment as a prominent member of a militant separatist group attempting to establish an independent Biafra state from Nigeria.

The court also found that he had helped some groups with regional contacts to acquire weapons, explosives and ammunition.

It also found that Ekpa encouraged his followers on 𝕏 to engage in criminal activity in Nigeria.

Ekpa’s legal troubles in Finland didn’t stop with the terrorism-related charges. He was also convicted by the district court for aggravated tax fraud and an offense against the Attorneys Act of Finland.

After a long investigation into his activities and communications from Finland, he was convicted.

Ekpa says he is a follower of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The Federal Government of Nigeria had declared Ekpa a “terrorism financier” in March 2025, before this time.