A Finnish court has sentenced Simon Ekpa, a pro-Biafra agitator, to six years in prison for terrorism offences.

The Päijät-Häme District Court in Finland has sentenced Simon Ekpa, a pro-Biafra agitator, to six years in prison for terrorism-related offences.

In its ruling on Monday, the court found Ekpa guilty of inciting terrorism and taking part in the activities of a terrorist organisation.

According to Finnish newspaper Yle, the judges stated that Ekpa exploited his “significant social media following” to fuel unrest in Nigeria’s south-east between August 2021 and November 2024.

The three-member panel unanimously concluded that Ekpa was a key figure in a militant separatist movement seeking to establish a Biafra state independent of Nigeria. The court further noted that he had supplied certain groups with weapons, explosives, and ammunition through his contacts, while also urging his followers on social media platform X to commit crimes in Nigeria.

Ekpa was also convicted of aggravated tax fraud and of breaching the Attorneys Act.

A self-proclaimed disciple of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Ekpa rose to prominence after Kanu was extradited to Nigeria from Kenya in June 2021. He was appointed lead broadcaster of Radio Biafra but was dismissed weeks later by IPOB for refusing to sign the station’s rules of engagement.

The fallout led to strained relations with IPOB, and Ekpa went on to form a splinter separatist group. From his base in Finland, he frequently used social media—particularly X—to issue sit-at-home orders in Nigeria’s south-east and to call for attacks on security personnel. IPOB repeatedly disassociated itself from his activities.

Ekpa was arrested in Finland in November 2024 and later convicted for “spreading terrorist propaganda on social media.”

In March 2025, Nigeria’s federal government formally designated him a “terrorism financier.”