The government of Finland has revealed the reason why the self-acclaimed Prime Minister of Biafra Government in Exile, Mr. Simon Ekpa, cannot be granted bail under the country’s legal system.
A senior Detective Superintendent at Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, Mr Mikko Laaksonen, told PUNCH Newspaper during an interview on Saturday, 30 November, 2024 that Finnish law does not grant bail to suspects accused of the kind of offences Ekpa is accused of.
He said, “Finnish criminal procedure/coercive measures do not recognise bail procedure.
“Our procedure is based on, depending on the case, remand or travel ban as coercive measures for limiting freedom of movement for persons suspected of offences to which such measures are applicable”.
This means that Ekpa will remain in detention until May 2025, when he is slated to face trial at the District Court of Päijät-Häme in the North European country.
NewsBand reported that Simon Ekpa was taken into custody alongside four others suspected to be his financiers for terror related activities.
The Finnish police said Mr Ekpa “has contributed to violence and crimes against civilians in South-Eastern Nigeria.”
The police have a suspicion that the Biafra agitator committed the crime of collecting money in violation of the Finnish Money Collection Act.
The Finnish police said he allegedly committed the crimes between 23 August 2021 and 18 November 2024 in Lahti, a town in Finland.
The rabble rouser agitator formed the Autopilot, a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) after Nnamdi Kanu was arrested by the Nigerian government.
IPOB is a separatist movement championing the agitation for the restoration of defunct nation of Biafra.
The group has been linked to some deadly attacks in the South-East region.
Although, it has repeatedly denied any involvement in those attacks.
Meanwhile, after Ekpa’s arrest, IPOB headed by Mazi Kanu in a statement, disowned Ekpa, describing him as a gang leader.
The group explained that the pro-Biafra agitator was never their member.
