Appeal court reviews Simon Ekpa’s six-year terrorism sentence

The Court of Appeal has begun hearing Simon Ekpa’s appeal against a six-year prison sentence for terrorism offences, Yle reports. Ekpa, who lives in Lahti, denies committing any crimes.

The Päijät-Häme District Court found that Ekpa had sought to advance the independence of Biafra in south-eastern Nigeria through illegal means between August 2021 and November 2024.

Biafra is a province in Nigeria roughly the size of France, with a population of about 50 million.

The district court found Ekpa guilty of public incitement to a crime for a terrorist purpose and participating in the activities of a terrorist group. It said he had used social media to obtain a politically influential position.

At his peak, Ekpa had about 200,000 followers on social media, and content he published received tens of millions of views across different platforms.

Ekpa continues to deny the charges. He acknowledges founding a movement promoting Biafra’s independence and says he is the prime minister of its government in exile. However, he argues that the methods used by the movement and by himself do not meet the legal criteria for terrorism offences.

The prosecution is seeking a harsher sentence in the Court of Appeal than the one imposed by the district court last autumn.

The Court of Appeal will hear the appeal over the next three weeks. The prosecution is presenting its evidence against Ekpa this week and next week. Ekpa and defence witnesses will be heard on Monday, August 17, after which the court is expected to issue its decision during the autumn.