A Finnish district court has sentenced Nigerian separatist leader Simon Ekpa to six years in prison on charges of terrorism and aggravated tax fraud.
Ekpa, who is based in Finland, leads the Autopilot faction of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
He had declared himself the “Prime Minister” of the Biafra Republic Government-in-Exile, while his armed wing, the Biafra Liberation Army, has been accused of killings and violent sit-at-home orders in Nigeria’s South-East.
In November 2024, Finnish authorities arrested Ekpa along with four others on suspicion of terror-related activities, including incitement to violence and terrorism financing.
He denied the allegations, but the court ordered his remand for public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent in Nigeria.
According to Finnish newspaper Yle, the court on Monday found Ekpa guilty of inciting terrorism and participating in the activities of a terrorist group.
It ruled that he was an influential figure in a militant separatist movement seeking to carve out a Biafra nation from Nigeria.
The judgment stated that Ekpa had supplied groups with weapons, explosives, and ammunition “through his network of contacts in the region,” and had repeatedly encouraged followers on social media platform X to commit violent crimes in Nigeria.
The court also convicted him of aggravated tax fraud.
