The embattled leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, is currently living in fear following the abrupt conviction of Mr. Simon Ekpa, the self-acclaimed Prime Minister of Biafra Government In Exile, sources close to the proscribed movement reliably told Diaspora Digital Media.
This medium reported on September 1, 2025 that Päijät-Häme District Court in Finland, sentenced Simon Ekpa, to six years in prison after finding him guilty of terrorism-related charges.
The court ruled that Mr Ekpa had participated in a terrorist organisation and had publicly incited crimes for terrorist purposes.
While delivering judgment, the court held that Mr Ekpa had used his social media following to stoke tensions in the “Biafra region” between August 2021 and November 2024.
The Finnish court also ruled that Mr Ekpa was an influential member of a Biafran separatist movement, which established armed groups aimed at bringing about Biafran independence by force.
It further held that Mr Ekpa had supplied these groups with weapons, explosives, and ammunition through his network of contacts in the region, and he was also found to have encouraged his followers on his X handle to commit crimes in Nigeria.
IPB Has Constantly Denied Ekpa As Their Member.
Meanwhile, IPOB faction loyal to Nnamdi Kanu, has continuously disowned Mr Simon Ekpa, explaining that the pro-Biafra agitator was never its member.
Though, despite IPOB’s leadership publicly disowning Ekpa as a member, evidence suggests Nnamdi Kanu had previously endorsed him during broadcasts.
Sources close to Kanu told Diaspora Digital Media that the news of Ekpa’s conviction has heightened fears about Kanu’s own legal fate, as he faces staggering evidence in Nigerian court.
“Kanu is gradually embracing the fate that will befall him. If Finnish court can jail Ekpa who is their citizen, you can imagine what will happen to Kanu who is in Nigeria where the rule of law doesn’t exist. Nnamdi Kanu is currently living in fear”, one of the source said.
Another source told this medium that IPOB’s leadership is scrambling to secure a soft landing for Kanu.
The source added that the leadership of the movement has gone as far as reaching out to some leaders of thoughts in the South-East region to see if there is anything they can do to help Kanu as the Finnish court judgement against Ekpa appears to have sealed his fate.
The source revealed: “The tension is high within IPOB after Ekpa’s conviction. The movement is consulting influential figures to help Kanu, but the odds appear slim.”
“As it stance now, it will only take a miracle for Nnamdi Kanu to escape the legal hammer that is awaiting him.”
What Opinion Molders Are Saying About Simon Ekpa Conviction And The Fate Of Nnamdi Kanu.
Opinion molders have weighed in on the implications of Ekpa’s conviction for Kanu.
Investigative journalist Ifeanyi Chijioke argued that Kanu laid the foundation for Ekpa’s actions by establishing the Eastern Security Network (ESN) and ordering violent actions against perceived enemies, including Fulani herdsmen and political dissenters.
Chijioke noted that Ekpa followed Kanu’s precedent, using IPOB structures to push his agenda, which later destabilized the Southeast through sit-at-home orders and the emergence of armed groups.
Chijioke further suggested that Ekpa’s conviction sets a troubling precedent for Kanu’s trial.
“If Ekpa was jailed for inheriting IPOB’s ideology and tactics, it’s almost inconceivable that Kanu, who created the foundation, would be acquitted,” he said.
He emphasized that the rationality of Kanu’s acquittal has been undermined by Ekpa’s sentencing, leaving IPOB in a precarious position
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