Simon Ekpa, who was arrested in Finland for alleged terrorism-related activities, is set to appear before a Finnish court in June 2025, BBC Pidgin reported on Wednesday.
The Finnish government in November 2024 announced the arrest of Ekpa alongside four others on suspicion of terror-related activities, including incitement to violence and terrorism financing.
Finnish police confirmed that Ekpa, described as the self-proclaimed Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government-in-Exile, allegedly used social media to promote violence in the South-East region, targeting civilians and authorities.
According to local publication Yle, Ekpa was remanded in custody by the Päijät-Häme District Court on charges of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.
The Federal Government has also taken action against him by placing him on its sanctions list alongside 16 others, freezing their assets and economic resources due to suspected involvement in terrorism-related activities.
According to BBC Pidgin, Ekpa was formerly represented by lawyer Ilkka Kopra, who confirmed that the Finnish court made the decision to detain him.
However, Kopra has since retired, and Ekpa is now represented by a new attorney, Kaarle Gummerus.
Gummerus confirmed receipt of the pre-trial case file and stated that the trial is scheduled for June, as reported by BBC Pidgin.
“We reached out to Simon Ekpa’s new lawyer, Kaarle Gummerus, to find out the current status of the case and when Ekpa will be taken to court for trial.
“The lawyer confirmed that he has received the pre-trial file of the case and they will go through it to decide what to do next.
“However, when we asked him when Simon Ekpa will appear in court, he said the case will go to court in June 2025,” BBC Pidgin reported.
