The Päijät-Häme District Court in Finland set 30 May 2025 as the date to commence hearings in a criminal case against former Lahti municipal politician Simon Ekpa, BBC confirmed.

This development followed a confirmation by Finland’s Office of the Prosecutor General, which revealed that the suspect was charged with public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.

According to the District Court of Päijät-Häme, Ekpa remained in pretrial detention pending his trial.

The hearing was expected to last several days, with the prosecutor’s application for summons and the defendant’s written response scheduled to be made public on 30 May 2025.

District Secretary Ulla Ristola confirmed that the trial would begin with a preparatory session on the same day, followed by the main hearing, which was anticipated to be largely public.

A panel of three judges would oversee and decide the case.

The Deputy Prosecutor General of Finland officially charged Simon Ekpa, known as a promoter of the Indigenous People of Biafra, with inciting terrorism online.

The Finland National Prosecution Authority alleged that Ekpa committed the offences in Lahti between 2021 and 2024.

Additionally, prosecutors linked aggravated tax fraud to the charges against Ekpa. The Office of the Prosecutor General stated that the suspect's activities aimed at establishing the so-called Biafra region of Nigeria as an independent state.

Senior Detective Superintendent Mikko Laaksonen of the Finland National Bureau of Investigation disclosed that charges also included contributing to the activities of a terrorist group.

The charged individual denied committing any crimes, according to the National Prosecuting Authority.

Efforts were made to reach Simon Ekpa’s lawyer, Kaarle Gummerus, for comments regarding the charges and the reaction to the legal proceedings initiated by Finnish authorities.

As the trial date approached, observers anticipated further developments in the case.

Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led federal government has designated and frozen the bank accounts of Biafra separatist leader, Simon Ekpa and 16 individuals and organizations for allegedly sponsoring terrorism.

The Nigeria Sanctions Committee also ordered the freezing of their financial instruments and entities across multiple banks, payment platforms, and financial institutions.

As reported by The Punch, the list of the blacklisted Nigerians was approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu upon the recommendation of the Attorney General of the Federation. According to government documents, the development was in accordance with Section 54 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

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Source: Legit.ng