The Appeal Court in Finland has upheld the decision by Päijät-Häme District Court last year, which find Simon Ekpa, self-acclaimed Prime Minister of Biafra Government In Exile guilty of terrorism-related charges.
The court delivered its ruling on Thursday, finding that Ekpa, 41, had participated in the activities of a terrorist group and publicly incited criminal acts for terrorist purposes.
The appeal court accepted the prosecution’s evidence concerning Ekpa’s involvement in armed separatist activities between 2021 and 2024.
Ekpa, who lives in Lahti, Finland, controlled many armed groups seeking independence for Biafra.
Members of these groups carried out attacks against Nigerian police stations, government buildings and military checkpoints as part of their campaign for an independent state.
During his appeal, Ekpa argued that southeastern Nigeria was experiencing an internal armed conflict and that international humanitarian law, rather than Finnish terrorism legislation, should govern his actions.
He submitted evidence concerning the organisation of armed groups, their weapons and the Nigerian government’s military operations.
The appeals court examined whether the fighting met the legal threshold for an internal armed conflict, drawing comparisons with international tribunal assessments of the Balkan wars.
Judges acknowledged that the weapons and equipment used by Nigerian government forces and the armed groups under Ekpa’s command indicated conditions resembling an internal armed conflict.
They nevertheless concluded that the intensity and frequency of fighting did not meet the threshold required under international case law.
The court found that attacks occurred intermittently, primarily targeting police stations and road checkpoints.
It also found insufficient evidence that Ekpa’s forces possessed the operational capacity to sustain prolonged military campaigns.
Moreover, the absence of reports documenting substantial civilian displacement from the affected areas further weakened the argument that the conflict amounted to a civil war.
Despite rejecting Ekpa’s central defence, the court determined that the circumstances surrounding his offences resembled situations involving civil war, self-defence and necessity.
The court considered those circumstances sufficient to justify reducing his prison term from six to four years while maintaining the terrorism convictions.
Ekpa has remained in custody since November 2024.
He moved from Nigeria to Finland in 2007 as an athlete and later became involved in Finnish local politics with the National Coalition Party. He subsequently served on a regional public transport committee.
Meanwhile, according to Finnish paper, Helsinki Times, the appeal court judgement is not yet final.
Ekpa and the prosecution have the option of seeking permission to appeal to Finland’s Supreme Court.
