The Finnish government has preferred “terrorism” charges against Simon Ekpa, the controversial Biafra agitator.
Ekpa was charged with “public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent” and “participation in a terrorist group”.
According to Yle, Finnish media outlet, the charges were filed on Friday morning at the Päijät-Häme district court.
Jukka Rappe, Finnish deputy prosecutor-general, told the platform that the charges are related to Ekpa’s activities pertaining to the establishment of Biafra as an independent state.
Rappe said the prosecutor will assess whether what happened online meets the criteria of a crime.
The deputy prosecutor-general said the court will determine whether a person who operated information networks from Finland committed terrorist crimes.
He described the case as “a unique and first case of its kind,” adding that the Finnish government had received documents from Nigeria pertaining to the case.
The hearing date has not been fixed.
In November 2024, Ekpa, a self-proclaimed leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was arrested by law enforcement in Finland.
He was subsequently sent to prison by the district court of Päijät-Häme for “spreading terrorist propaganda on social media”.
Ekpa was said to have committed the crime in 2021 in Lahti municipality.
He is accused of instigating violence and inciting terror in the south-east of Nigeria through his social media pages.
Recently, Lateef Fagbemi, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), said the federal government is yet to commence the extradition process for Ekpa.
