Finnish Court Reduces Simon Ekpa’s Jail Term To Four Years

A Finnish appeals court has reduced the prison sentence of Nigerian-born separatist leader Simon Ekpa from six years to four years while upholding his convictions for terrorism-related offences linked to separatist activities in southeastern Nigeria.

According to a report by Helsinki Times, the East Finland Court of Appeal delivered the ruling on Thursday, affirming Ekpa’s conviction for participating in the activities of a terrorist group and publicly inciting crimes for terrorist purposes.

The ruling upheld the September 2025 judgment of the Päijät-Häme District Court but reduced his sentence after considering circumstances surrounding the conflict in southeastern Nigeria.

The appeals court accepted evidence presented by the prosecution that Ekpa was involved in armed separatist activities between 2021 and 2024.

Ekpa, 41, resides in Lahti, Finland, and has been accused of directing armed groups campaigning for an independent Biafran state in southeastern Nigeria. The groups have been linked to attacks on police stations, government facilities and military checkpoints.

During the appeal, Ekpa argued that the situation in southeastern Nigeria amounted to an internal armed conflict, insisting that international humanitarian law, rather than Finnish terrorism legislation, should govern his activities.

He reportedly presented evidence concerning the organisation and weapons of the armed groups, as well as military operations conducted by the Nigerian government in the region.

In considering the argument, the appeals court examined whether the violence met the legal requirements for an internal armed conflict, drawing comparisons with international tribunal decisions relating to the Balkan wars.

Although the judges acknowledged that the weapons and equipment used by Nigerian government forces and armed groups associated with Ekpa indicated conditions resembling an internal armed conflict, they ruled that the intensity and frequency of the violence did not meet the required legal threshold.

The court reportedly found that the attacks occurred intermittently and mainly targeted police stations and road checkpoints. It also held that there was insufficient evidence to establish that the armed groups had the operational capacity to sustain prolonged military campaigns.

The absence of reports documenting substantial civilian displacement from the affected areas further weakened the argument that the violence amounted to a civil war.

Despite rejecting Ekpa’s principal defence, the court considered the circumstances surrounding his offences to bear similarities to situations involving civil war, self-defence and necessity. These considerations were deemed sufficient to justify reducing his sentence from six years to four years without overturning his convictions.

Ekpa has been in custody since November 2024.

He moved from Nigeria to Finland in 2007 as an athlete before becoming involved in Finnish local politics under the National Coalition Party. He also served on a regional public transport committee.

The district court had convicted him of participating in the activities of a terrorist group, publicly inciting crimes for terrorist purposes, aggravated tax fraud and violating Finland’s Attorneys Act.

It ruled that between August 2021 and November 2024, Ekpa used his social media presence to incite violence, promote what the court described as illegal Biafran independence activities in southeastern Nigeria, and assist armed groups in obtaining weapons, explosives and ammunition.

The appeals court’s decision is not yet final, as both Ekpa and the prosecution can seek permission to appeal to Finland’s Supreme Court.