A Finnish Court of Appeal has reduced the prison sentence imposed on pro-Biafran agitator Simon Ekpa from six years to four years while upholding his conviction on terrorism-related charges.
Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported on Thursday that the appellate court affirmed the Päijät-Häme District Court’s finding that Ekpa participated in a terrorist organisation and publicly incited crimes for terrorist purposes.
Ekpa, who moved to Finland from Nigeria in 2007, was prosecuted over activities linked to his campaign for the re-establishment of an independent Biafran state in south-eastern Nigeria.
“The charges related to Ekpa’s alleged activities aimed at re-establishing an independent state in the Biafra region of southeastern Nigeria, which was briefly independent in the late 1960s,” Yle reported.
The Court of Appeal, however, reduced the custodial sentence from six years to four years after considering the circumstances surrounding Ekpa’s activities.
According to Yle, the court observed that the security situation in the Biafra region closely resembled a civil war, although it did not legally meet the definition of one.
During the appeal, Ekpa maintained that his involvement in the political turmoil in the region was not motivated by terrorist intent.
The prosecution also challenged the original judgment, but from the opposite direction, arguing that the six-year sentence imposed by the district court did not adequately reflect the seriousness of the offences.
The appellate court nevertheless reduced the sentence while leaving the terrorism-related convictions intact.
The ruling is not yet final and may still be challenged before a higher court.
The proceedings relate to Ekpa’s activities between August 2021 and November 2024. The district court had found that he used his substantial social media following to intensify tensions in south-eastern Nigeria as part of efforts to establish an independent Biafran state.
In September 2025, the Päijät-Häme District Court sentenced Ekpa to six years’ imprisonment after convicting him of participating in a terrorist organisation, publicly inciting crimes for terrorist purposes, aggravated tax fraud and violating provisions of the Lawyers Act.
The trial court also found that Ekpa, through his network of contacts, supplied armed groups with weapons, explosives and ammunition and encouraged followers on X, formerly Twitter, to commit crimes in Nigeria.
Ekpa denied the allegations during his trial.
He was arrested in Finland in November 2024 following investigations into alleged separatist activities connected with the campaign for an independent Biafran state.
Ekpa is a long-term resident of Lahti, Finland, and had previously served on the city council representing the National Coalition Party.
The agitation for Biafra traces its historical roots to the declaration of an independent Republic of Biafra in 1967, which led to the Nigerian Civil War. The conflict ended in 1970 with the collapse of the secessionist state.
Post Title: “His Activities Did Not Amount To A Civil War” — Finnish Court Upholds Simon Ekpa’s Terrorism Conviction, Reduces Sentence By Naijaonpoint.