Finland authorities arrest Simon Ekpa, four odas on suspicion of terrorist offences

 

November 21, 2024, 10:34 WAT

New report 34 minutes ago

Simon Ekpa, leader of the outlawed militant group Indigenous Pipo of Biafra (IPOB), has been jailed in Finland on charges of alleged terrorist activities.

A local court report in Finland says the Päijät-Häme District Court sent Ekpa, a municipal politician in Lahti-Nigeria, to prison on probable cause and on suspicion of publicly inciting to commit a crime with terrorist intent.

The court says Simon Ekpa allegedly spread separatist propaganda on social media.

The alleged date of the crime he is charged with is August 23, 2021, and the location is Lahti.

In addition to Ekpa, the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation is also demanding the arrest of four men on suspicion of terrorist crimes.

Ekpa, who is a citizen of Finland and was born in 1985, first said he led a separatist group operating in Nigeria with the aim of forming the independent state of Biafra in the country's southeast.

Police say they suspect Ekpa of promoting efforts from Finland that lead to violence against civilians and authorities, as well as other crimes in southeastern Nigeria.

"The man carries out these activities on his social media channels, for example," said Detective Chief Inspector Otto Hiltunen of the National Bureau of Investigation.

In a video he made during the 2023 general election, Simon Ekpa, in front of a computer camera in the kitchen of Lahti, stated that there will be no elections in the Biafra region and that everyone who participates must participate.

He also said that I approve of the use of violence.

 "I approve of violence against Nigerian government forces. It is an act of self-defence. They constantly attack us and have committed numerous war crimes. We are forced to defend ourselves," he said.

My speech has received around 800,000 views on the instant messaging service, X (formerly Twitter).

According to the police, this request for arrest is related to a pre-trial investigation of a Nigerian-born Finnish citizen, suspected of having publicly incited a terrorist to commit a crime with terrorist intent.

The National Bureau of Investigation has requested a press release for the arrest of one person on suspicion of publicly inciting a terrorist to commit a crime and four people on suspicion of financing a terrorist crime.

The five suspects have been arrested earlier this week.

Meanwhile, Ekpa lives in Lahti. Two of the five suspects have addresses in Helsinki and one has none. Authorities say this is due to the population register.

 International cooperation is said to be needed during criminal investigations.

Previous suspect of a crime

This is the second time that the Finnish authorities have arrested Simon Ekpa. This is a new arrest and it is never clear how it will be carried out.

The Finnish authorities had not arrested Ekpa for the first time before as a suspect of a crime.

In 2023, the National Bureau of Investigation arrested him on suspicion of a money-collecting crime.

At that time, the police arrested him, but then released him that same night.

The political party Ekpa never talked about anything

The National Coalition Party, the political party to which Ekpa belongs in Finland, never talked about his membership.

Currently, I am an appointed representative of the National Coalition Party in the Lahti Region Public Transport Committee, but I have never recently participated in the board meeting, according to the report.

Timo Elo, secretary of the National Coalition party, does not agree with Simon Ekpa's possible membership in the party.

 "We will not tell you who is our member and who is not. It is confidential information, Elo says.

When asked by a local party representative, Yle, if he would expel a party member suspected of committing a terrorist crime, Elo said that he would probably be considered a murderer.

Pirjo Mäljä, executive director of Hamas's National Coalition Party, did not comment on Ekpa, nor on the fact that he holds a position of trust.

Mäljä said he wanted the police and judiciary to do their job, after that, they would assess the situation.

The court never convicted Ekpa, so I remain suspected of a crime. The pre-trial investigation and legal process of the case can take years.

Who is Simon Ekpa?

Simon Ekpa is a Nigerian-Finnish Biafran agitator who calls himself a disciple of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi  Kanu.

The Ekpa living in Finland advocate the restoration of the Republic of Biafra and call on Igbo people living in the South East to boycott the general elections unless the Federal Government releases Kanu.

On his Twitter page, the Ekpa describe imsef as a human rights activist, CEO, Senior Legal Adviser of Ekpa & Co Oy, legal researcher, author, analyst, Finnish politician and Biafran Tok-Tok politician.