The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), on Monday hailed the conviction of Nigerian-born separatist agitator, Simon Ekpa, by a Finnish court.
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In a statement, Fagbemi said Ekpa’s sentencing is a confirmation of his complicity in violent crimes in the South East region.
He welcomed the six-year prison sentence handed down to Ekpa by the Päijät-Häme District Court in Finland.
According to the minister, the judgment validated Nigeria’s long-standing position that the self-acclaimed leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) played a direct role in fueling insecurity in the region.
“We receive the good news of the conviction of Simon Ekpa by the Finnish court. His sentencing for terrorism and other related offences is a confirmation that he influenced and committed heinous crimes against the Nigerian people, especially in the South East,” the AGF said.
Fagbemi commended the Finnish authorities for their cooperation, stressing that the decision marked a step forward in international collaboration against transnational crimes.
“We see this as a signal of future partnership and would take appropriate further actions upon receipt and review of the court’s judgment,” he added.
The court found 40-year-old Ekpa guilty of inciting terrorism and participating in the activities of a terrorist group.
It said Ekpa had used his “significant social media following” to stoke tensions in the South-East region of Nigeria between August 2021 and November 2024.
The three-member panel of judges, in a unanimous ruling, also stated that Ekpa was an influential member of a militant separatist movement whose goal was to actualise the secession of a Biafran state from Nigeria.
The district court further stated that Ekpa supplied these groups with “weapons, explosives, and ammunition” through his network of contacts in the region, and that he was also found to have encouraged his followers on the social media platform X to “commit crimes” in Nigeria.
A long-term resident of Lahti and one-time local councillor, Ekpa reportedly committed the crimes from the Finnish city, according to the verdict, giving the Finnish court jurisdiction in the case.
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