Finnish prosecutors have charged a man with inciting terrorism online, identified by Finnish public broadcaster as Simon Ekpa, a Nigerian separatist leader. The National Prosecution Authority alleges that the suspect, a Finnish individual, publicly incited crimes with terrorist intent and participated in the activities of a terrorist group between 2021 and 2024 in the city of Lahti.
The alleged crimes are related to Ekpa's efforts to establish the Biafra region as an independent state in Nigeria. Ekpa, who claims to lead the Biafra Republic's government in exile, was detained in November and remains in custody, denying the charges.
Ekpa is known as a self-proclaimed leader of a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which is pushing for the independence of Nigeria's southeast. He has also been a local representative for Finland's conservative National Coalition Party in Lahti, where he served on a public transport committee.
The prosecution authority has dropped charges against four others in the case due to a lack of evidence. Ekpa has been the subject of several fact-checks by AFP in recent years over false claims and disinformation related to his independence campaign.
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