Gradual Ease to the Southeastern Nigeria, as Finland Jails Simon Ekpa for Six Years, for Terrorism, Inciting Violence and Fraud

Simon Ekpa, once a promising Nigerian sprinter who built a new life in Finland, has now become the face of one of the most controversial trials linking Europe and Africa. On Monday, a Finnish district court sentenced the self-proclaimed “Prime Minister” of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to six years in prison for terrorism, arms distribution, and tax fraud.

For nearly three years, prosecutors said, Ekpa turned his social media pages into rallying grounds for violence, urging unrest in Nigeria while facilitating the movement of weapons and explosives. Behind the screen, he also evaded taxes in his adopted home country. Ekpa denied the charges, claiming he was merely a “content creator,” but Finnish authorities, working closely with Nigeria, presented what they described as “overwhelming proof.”

Ekpa’s journey is as paradoxical as it is tragic. Having moved to Finland in 2007 as an athlete, he later served briefly as a local politician before reinventing himself as a voice for Biafra’s separatist cause. To some, he became a dangerous agitator; to others, an exiled activist misunderstood by the West. His arrest in late 2024 and swift trial in 2025 stand in sharp contrast to the protracted case of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu in Nigeria.

Reactions have been divided. Many Nigerians call the six-year prison term a slap on the wrist, pointing to lives lost in violence allegedly fueled by his broadcasts. Others, however, marvel at Finland’s speed and transparency, comparing it with the drawn-out trials back home. IPOB itself has distanced from him, wary of his controversial tactics.

In the interim, Ekpa remains in Finland, unlikely to face extradition. His conviction highlights not only the global reach of digital-era militancy but also the uneasy intersection of exile politics, European justice, and African struggles for self-determination.