- Police detained the Finnish-Nigerian former municipal politician last November, along with four other individuals
Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have ended their investigations of former municipal politician from Lahti and Biafran separatist leader, Simon Ekpa, accusing him being involved in serious terrorism-related crimes.
Following a preliminary investigation, the NBI said it suspects Ekpa of “public exhortation to an offence committed with a terrorist intent and of contributing to the activities of a terrorist group.”
Ekpa, who maintained a stronghold on the Autopilot wing of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and was leader of Biafran Liberation Army (BLA), claimed responsibilities for scores of killings, attacks and destruction of property in South East Nigeria often directed against perceived “enemies of the struggle.”
NBI noted that the suspicions on Ekpa stemmed from a large-scale terrorism investigation carried out by the law enforcement agency.
Police detained the Finnish-Nigerian former municipal politician last November, along with four other individuals.
A Finnish newspaper, Yle, quoted Detective Superintendent Otto Hiltunen who was the lead investigator as saying in a Press Release on Tuesday of saying that “as we suspected that the consequences of the public exhortation and the activities of a terrorist group occurred in Nigeria, we cooperated with the Nigerian authorities during the criminal investigation.”
The other four individuals were released during the course of the investigation, the NBI said.
Ekpa has been implicated in criminal activities before. In 2023, Finnish police detained him on suspicion of fundraising fraud but he was released later the same evening.
Ekpa’s separatist activism has drawn global attention, particularly his calls to boycott Nigerian elections. He has also publicly justified the use of violence.
The case is headed to the Deputy Prosecutor General for consideration of charges.
