- Simon Ekpa has filed an appeal against his terrorism conviction at a Finnish court of appeal, which is set to hear the case within three weeks
- The Finnish prosecutor is pushing back against Ekpa’s appeal, arguing that the six-year prison sentence handed down in September 2025 is too short
- Ekpa was originally convicted for inciting terrorism and using his social media following to stoke tensions in Nigeria’s south-east region
Simon Ekpa, the self-styled Biafra separatist agitator based in Finland, has filed an appeal against his terrorism conviction, while the Finnish prosecutor handling his case is separately pushing for a harsher sentence than the six years he received.
The Finnish court of appeal is expected to hear both the appeal and the prosecution’s counter-argument within the next three weeks, according to BBC Pidgin.
Source: Twitter
How Ekpa ended up in a Finnish court
Finnish law enforcement arrested Ekpa in November 2024. He was subsequently charged with inciting terrorism and participating in the activities of a terrorist group.
Read also
“It’s not about book”: VeryDarkMan fires back at Femi Falana over NBA conference criticism
In September 2025, the Päijät-Häme district court found him guilty on both counts and sentenced him to six years in prison.
The court said Ekpa had exploited his significant social media following to fuel instability across Nigeria’s south-east between August 2021 and November 2024.
Judges described him as an influential figure within a militant separatist movement that sought to carve out an independent Biafra state from Nigeria.
Beyond encouraging his followers on X to commit crimes inside Nigeria, the court found that Ekpa had supplied certain groups in the region with weapons, explosives, and ammunition through his network of contacts.
He was also convicted of aggravated tax fraud and violating the provisions of Finland’s Attorneys Act.
Nigeria’s position on Ekpa
Ekpa has long presented himself as a disciple of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). In March 2025, Nigeria’s federal government formally designated him a “terrorism financier,” adding an official Nigerian legal dimension to the case already proceeding in Helsinki.
The Finnish prosecutor’s decision to seek a longer sentence signals that authorities believe the six-year term does not adequately reflect the severity of the offences.
The court of appeal will now weigh Ekpa’s bid for a reduced sentence or acquittal against the prosecution’s demand for a tougher penalty.
FG considering Simon Ekpa’s repatriation
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government hinted at the possibility of repatriating pro-Biafran agitator, Simon Ekpa, to Nigeria at the end of his six-year jail term in Finland.
Legit.ng recall that the Päijät-Häme District Court in Finland sentenced Ekpa to six years in prison for terrorism-related crimes and other offences.
Source: Legit.ng