A Finnish appeals court on Thursday reduced the prison sentence of Simon Njoku Ekpa from six years to four years. Ekpa is a Finnish-Nigerian dual citizen and a former local politician.
The Eastern Finland Court of Appeal upheld his convictions for terrorism related offences. These include publicly encouraging people to commit crimes for terrorist purposes and taking part in the activities of a terrorist group. The court also kept the earlier findings of serious tax fraud and breaking rules related to the legal profession.
The court said Ekpa operated from Lahti in Finland between 2021 and 2024. From there, he directed armed groups in southeastern Nigeria that attacked police stations, government buildings, and military checkpoints. The groups were trying to create an independent Biafra. The court also found that he used social media to encourage violence and helped supply weapons, explosives, and ammunition.
The appeals court reduced the sentence by two years because of the unusual conditions in which the offences took place. It said the situation was similar to a civil conflict or a state of necessity. However, the court ruled that the fighting was too limited and irregular to be called a full civil war. Prosecutors had asked for a longer sentence.
Ekpa, who is 41 years old, has been in custody since November 2024. He moved from Nigeria to Finland in 2007 as an athlete, later became a Finnish citizen, and once served as a local politician with the National Coalition Party in the Lahti area. He has denied the charges.
The ruling is not final. Ekpa can still ask for permission to appeal to Finland’s Supreme Court. Finnish media outlets, including Yle and Ilta-Sanomat, reported the decision on Thursday.
Nigerian authorities have said they want to prosecute Ekpa in Nigeria. So far, however, no formal extradition process is active. Any attempt to extradite him after he is released from Finnish prison would be a separate legal process. It would face significant challenges, including the fact that Finland has already tried and convicted him for offences committed from Finnish territory, and that he is a Finnish citizen.
