Finnish Court Jails Simon Ekpa for Six Years on Terrorism Charges
Päijät-Häme District Court finds Lahti politician guilty of incitement with terrorist intent; verdict also covers tax-fraud and legal-practice breaches; IPOB reiterates he is not a member
LAHTI, FINLAND — September 1, 2025
A Finnish district court has sentenced a Finnish-Nigerian, Simon Ekpa, to six years in prison, concluding a year-long investigation into his online broadcasts and fundraising tied to violence in Nigeria’s southeast, claiming he is pro-Biafra despite killing innocent Biafrans.
Ekpa, a former Nigerian 100-meter sprinter, was first detained in November 2024 as part of a National Bureau of Investigation probe. He denied wrongdoing throughout.
The Päijät-Häme District Court today ruled that between August 2021 and November 2024, Ekpa created and participated in the activities of a terrorist organisation (Autopilot and BLA) and publicly incited crimes for terrorist purposes, leveraging a substantial social-media following. The panel also convicted him of aggravated tax fraud and violating Finland’s Attorneys (Lawyers) Act by offering legal services without authorisation.
Proceedings in Lahti spanned multiple hearing days in May–June 2025. Prosecutors had earlier investigated several other individuals linked to the case; four were released during the preliminary phase.
Ekpa’s counsel maintained that his statements were political speech lacking terrorist intent and said they would consider appellate options. Under Finnish procedure, district-court terrorism rulings are subject to review by a Court of Appeal upon timely filing.
Nigerian outlets and officials also noted the ruling, with local media highlighting the Finnish court’s emphasis on incitement and group-participation elements of the terrorism counts. The Nigerian media also attempted to associate Simon Ekpa with IPOB, reproducing the colonial tactic of collapsing distinct actors into one “problem group”—a frame used in the attempt to delegitimize IPOB’s self-determination struggle since 2021. IPOB’s official leadership has repeatedly stated that Simon Ekpa is not, and has never been, a member of IPOB, and that his activities are independent of the movement, reiterating that IPOB is a peaceful organization.
