When Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) broke the news of the sentencing to six years of the self-acclaimed Prime Minister of Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE), Barrister. Simon Ekpa, to many it came as either shock or disbelief.
To others, it rather came as a relief that, at last, with Mr. Ekpa and the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, behind bars, the South East region may heave a sigh of relief.
News had filtered in from Finland with the verdict of the court that Ekpa has been found guilty of terrorism by the court.
The Päijät-Häme District Court sentenced him to six years in prison for terrorism offences.
The court held Ekpa guilty of inciting a public crime committed with terrorist intent.
It also nabbed him for participating in the activities of a terrorist group.
Before we continue, a brief bio of the man, Ekpa, will suffice.
A brief overview of the life and career of Simon Ekpa
Simon Ekpa is a Nigerian-Finnish lawyer, politician, and activist born on March 21, 1985, in Ohaukwu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
Early Life and Education:
Ekpa won a silver medal for Nigeria in the 100 meters at the 2003 African Junior Athletics Championships.
He later moved to Finland in 2007, where he learned the language, obtained citizenship, and completed military service.
Ekpa holds a Master’s degree in Law from Aberystwyth University.
Career and Activism:
Ekpa is a prominent figure in the Biafra independence movement, serving as the leader of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile.
He is also a key figure in the Indigenous People of Biafra.
He has been involved in controversies, including inciting violence and disrupting lives in southeastern Nigeria through sit-at-home orders.
Politics and Legal Issues:
Ekpa is a member of the National Coalition Party of Finland and has run for office in Finnish elections.
However, his activities have led to legal issues, including detention by Finnish authorities.
The authorities detained him for suspected illegal fundraising and incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.
Personal Life:
Ekpa is married to a Finnish woman and has children.
His net worth is estimated to be around $4 million, earned through his career as a lawyer and activist.
It may be worth adding that Barrister Ekpa also served as a former anchorman for Radio Biafra London (RBL).
Caught in a dragnet
So it was that on November 21, 2024, the law man, Simon Ekpa was caught in a dragnet set up by the Finnish authorities.
According to report by a Finnish paper, Ekpa was remanded in custody by the district court of Päijät-Häme on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.
A statement issued on its official website on Thursday, the Police in Finland said it apprehended five persons on suspicion of terrorist crimes.
Four others were arrested “for financing a terrorist crime”.
The deputy prosecutor general in Finland charged Ekpa with public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent and participation in a terrorist group, Yle, a Finnish Newspaper reports.
The prosecutors said that Ekpa committed the offence in Lahti, a city in southern Finland, between 2021 and 2024.
Recall that Ekpa was arrested and detained by Finnish police in November 2024.
According to the prosecution authority, Ekpa who has remained in custody, also denied all charges.
The prosecution insisted that Ekpa’s online activities incited acts of violence in Nigeria under the guise of pro-Biafra agitation.
As soon as Ekpa was in the net, calls for his extradition ripped through the Nigerian media sphere.
Extradition calls
The Federal Government immediately forwarded extradition documents to Finland.
General Christopher Musa, Nigeria Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), announced that the necessary documents for his extradition
The Director of Defense Information, Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau, stated that Ekpa should be extradited to Nigeria to face criminal proceedings.
Several Nigerians on the internet, also called for Ekpa’s return to Nigeria so he may be charged with terrorism.
Ekpa is among the 97 people that the Defense Headquarters declared ‘wanted’ in March, 2024.
It was even rumoured that Finnish authorities approved the extradition and that the transfer has already been scheduled.
Shortly after his arrest and detention, several accusations crept up, including indictment by some of his lieutenants for corruption.
Some claimed that the Biafra Government in exile is a sham, as Ekpa looted their funds and fed his militants Garri without sugar.
What did pundits say?
Even some political pundits, such as Mr. Basil Odilim Enwegbara, argued that Ekpa may be holding the aces in the ongoing trial.
Enwegbara, in a piece entitled “Is the Attorney General’s Office Aware Nigeria Has No Case Against Simon Ekpa?” wrote as a matter of fact:
“Simon Ekpa will win in Finland.
“…under Finnish law, he hasn’t committed a crime—unless Nigeria can prove he’s funding terrorism, coordinating violence from Finnish territory, or inciting crime inside Finland.
“So far, Nigeria has shown none of that.
“There’s no court case against him back home. No indictment. No judge has issued a summons or warrant for him to appear.
“What we’ve seen instead are media threats, name-calling, and diplomatic noise. But Finland doesn’t run on noise. It runs on law.
“Without any legal backing, Finland sees this not as a criminal prosecution but as a political campaign.”
The author, in fact, reasoned that the tables may actually turn in favour of Ekpa, who may soon be the one holding the legal advantage.
“He could sue the Nigerian government for defamation,” Enwegbara wrote.
Justice not delayed…
On its part, the Finnish government did not hesitate to wield the big stick, confiscating Simon Ekpa’s assets.
The government also denied him bail, explaining why he cannot be granted bail, rather, that he will remain in prison until 2025.
Finally, to put a death knell on all speculations and permutations, on September 1, World Education Day, Finland decided to educate the nay-sayers.
Ekpa appeared in court for the verdict.
Four pictures of Simon Ekpa
His countenance was summarised in the picture collage below:
First, on the top left it was one of defiance, as if saying “I’ll soon be out of here and will continue to teach Nigerians, especially the South East, my lessons“.
The second picture, however, saw him reflecting on the indictment before him, as if wondering “but what if I’m found guilty? I may really be gone for good“.
After listening awhile to the judgement of the three-member panel of judges, in the third picture, lower left, Ekpa’s body language was one of resignation.
“It’ll be a miracle if I escape this judgement!” he may have thought out aloud.
Then came the moment everyone was waiting for as the judge’s gavel rose, hanging in the air for what seemed like an eternity to Simon Ekpa.
Ekpa wished it never landed; at least he may continue to enjoy his ephemeral freedom, but hell no! It landed.
It landed with such a deafening, heartrending thud, shattering every silence, real or imagined, in the court, signaling the end of Ekpa’s freedom.
The court’s decision was unanimous, with the three-member panel of judges agreeing on the verdict.
The judges found him guilty of inciting terrorism, participating in terrorist activities, aggravated tax fraud, and violating the provisions of the Attorneys Act.
And in the fourth picture Simon Ekpa wept bitterly!
The Biafra Separatist Leader, Mr. Simon Ekpa, cried in court as judge handed a six-year jail term
Why he cried
He cried that it’s all over.
He cried that he is now a convict.
Ekpa cried that he no longer has a moral basis to administer an attorney’s service any longer.
He cried about the uncertainty of what awaits him at the end of six years.
He cried that he may have lost his relevance in the Biafran equation.
The Attorney-at-Law cried that Nigeria may still happen to him.
Nigeria may happen to him in case Finland decides to expel him at the expiration of his prison sentence.
Meanwhile, to those who Ekpa’s goons have sent their loved ones to their early graves, Simon was paid back in a fraction of his own coins.
At least, they can now afford to allow their dead loved ones to rest.
They can now rest assured that some measure of Justice a-la-carte have been served.
As for Simon Ekpa, see you in 2030, unless parole mechanism thinks otherwise!
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