Terrorism: Finnish court reduces Simon Ekpa’s six-year jail term – Report

The Court of Appeal in Finland has reduced the prison sentence of Simon Ekpa from six years to four years. This decision follows a ruling by the Päijät-Häme District Court last year, which found Ekpa guilty of terrorism-related charges, including participating in a terrorist organization and publicly inciting crimes for terrorist purposes.

According to Yle News Finland, the charges involved activities aimed at re-establishing an independent state in the Biafra region of southeastern Nigeria. The district court stated that Ekpa used his social media following to increase tensions in the region between August 2021 and November 2024. While the Court of Appeal upheld the guilty verdict, it reduced the sentence after considering the circumstances of his actions, noting that the situation in Biafra closely resembles a civil war but does not meet the formal definition.

Ekpa, who moved to Finland from Nigeria in 2007, argued in court that the political turmoil in Biafra meant his involvement lacked terrorist intent. Premium Times reported that the original six-year sentence was handed down by the Päijät-Häme District Court after finding him guilty of the terrorism-related charges.

Brief written by urgent.news from Premium Times, Yle News Finland — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.