Pro-Biafran agitator, Simon Ekpa, who was arrested and detained in Finland on allegations of terrorism-related activities in 2024, will be arraigned before a Finnish court in June 2025.
Ekpa, who has been a prominent figure in the push for the secession of Biafra, is facing serious charges related to inciting violence and terrorism financing.
The Finnish government announced Ekpa’s arrest alongside four others in November 2024, stating that they were being investigated for their roles in terror-related activities.
Finnish police confirmed that Ekpa, self-proclaimed “Prime Minister” of the Biafra Republic Government-in-Exile, allegedly used social media platforms to encourage violence targeting both civilians and authorities in the South-East region of Nigeria.
According to reports from local publication Yle, Ekpa was remanded in custody by the Päijät-Häme District Court on charges of public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent.
The Finnish authorities have also placed Ekpa under sanctions, freezing his assets and economic resources, alongside 16 others, due to their suspected involvement in terrorism-related activities.
Ekpa, who was initially represented by lawyer Ilkka Kopra, now has a new legal representative, Kaarle Gummerus.
Gummerus confirmed that he had received the pre-trial case file and is preparing for the upcoming trial. The trial is now scheduled to take place in June 2025.
BBC Pidgin reported, “We reached out to Simon Ekpa’s new lawyer, Kaarle Gummerus, to find out the current status of the case and when Ekpa will be taken to court for trial.
“The lawyer confirmed that he has received the pre-trial file of the case and they will go through it to decide what to do next.
“However, when we asked him when Simon Ekpa will appear in court, he said the case will go to court in June 2025.”
