*The National Prosecution Authority slams cyberterrorism charges on Nigerian separatist leader Simon Ekpa in a case of suspected public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent and participation in the activities of a terrorist group

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Finnish prosecutors Friday, May 16, 2025, pressed charges against Nigerian separatist leader Simon Ekpa for alleged cyberterrorism.

The National Prosecution Authority of Finland, in a statement, disclosed it had charged 鈥渁 Finnish individual in a case involving suspected public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent and participation in the activities of a terrorist group.鈥�

The European country has detained Ekpa, who claims to lead the Biafra Republic鈥檚 government in exile November 2024.

The statement noted that the alleged crimes against him had been committed in the city of Lahti between 2021 and 2024.

It also noted that the purported cybercrimes were related to the suspect鈥檚 efforts at establishing Nigeria鈥檚 Biafra region as an independent state.

Though the prosecution authority did not name the specific accused individual, Finnish broadcaster YLE identified him as separatist leader Simon Ekpa.

The accused, who has remained in custody ever since then, has denied the charges.

Ekpa is known as a self-proclaimed leader of a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which is pushing for the independence of Nigeria鈥檚 South-East, where a bloody civil war was fought in the late 1960s, a report said.

The dual Finnish-Nigerian national has also been a local representative for Finland鈥檚 conservative National Coalition Party in the city of Lahti, north of Helsinki, where he has served on a public transport committee.

It was gathered when Ekpa was arrested last November, the Finnish authorities also requested that four other people be remanded in custody on suspicion of financing Ekpa鈥檚 activities in the country.

The Finnish prosecution authority Friday, said the prosecutor had decided to drop charges against four others in the case due to a lack of evidence.

Ekpa has been the subject of several of AFP鈥檚 fact checks in recent years over false claims and disinformation he has made in independence campaigning, report stated.

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