Finnish prosecutors have charged a man, identified in media reports as Nigerian separatist leader Simon Ekpa, with inciting terrorism online. The charges, filed by Finland’s National Prosecution Authority, accuse Ekpa of public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent and participation in the activities of a terrorist group. The alleged crimes occurred in Lahti, Finland, between 2021 and 2024, and are related to Ekpa’s efforts to establish Nigeria’s Biafra region as an independent state.

Ekpa, who claims to lead the Biafra Republic’s government in exile, was detained in November. He remains in custody and denies the charges. Known as a self-proclaimed leader of a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Ekpa advocates for the independence of Nigeria’s southeast, a region that experienced a civil war in the late 1960s. Ekpa, a dual Finnish-Nigerian national, has also been a local representative for Finland’s conservative National Coalition Party in Lahti, where he served on a public transport committee.

Finnish authorities initially requested the detention of four others suspected of financing Ekpa’s activities. However, the prosecution authority has dropped charges against these individuals due to a lack of evidence.

The deputy prosecutor general in Finland has charged Ekpa with public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent and participation in a terrorist group. The case will be heard in the Päijät-Häme District Court in Lahti. Prosecutors allege that Ekpa spread separatist propaganda from his home in Lahti. Finnish police have been investigating the case in collaboration with the Nigerian government. A hearing date is pending.

Ekpa, 40, was arrested on 21 November 2024, along with four others, on suspicion of terrorist activities. Finnish police stated that Ekpa "has contributed to violence and crimes against civilians in South-eastern Nigeria." The District Court of Päijät-Häme ordered his imprisonment based on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.

Ekpa heads Autopilot, a faction of IPOB, which seeks to carve an independent state of Biafra out of southeastern and parts of south-south Nigeria. IPOB has been linked to attacks in these regions but denies involvement. Following Ekpa’s arrest, the IPOB faction loyal to Nnamdi Kanu disowned Ekpa, stating he was never a member. Ekpa was initially indicted for financing terrorism, and police suspected him of violating the Finnish Money Collection Act between 23 August 2021 and 18 November 2024 in Lahti. The four other suspects were released during the preliminary investigation. The district court has set May 2025 as the deadline for prosecutors to present charges against Ekpa.