Federal government has applauded the sentencing of Simon Ekpa, a pro-Biafra agitator, describing it as a major victory in Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts.
Gatekeepers News reports that on Monday, a district court in Paijät-Häme, Finland, handed Ekpa a six-year jail term after finding him guilty of terrorism-related offences.
The court ruled that he promoted terrorist activities and maintained links with a terrorist group. It further noted that Ekpa used his social media platforms to incite unrest in Nigeria’s southeast between August 2021 and November 2024.
Reacting to the verdict, Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, wrote on X that Ekpa’s sentencing is a “major victory in the war against terror.”
Idris wrote, “We welcome the news of Simon Ekpa’s conviction by a Finnish court for terrorism-related crimes, and his sentencing to six years in prison.”
The minister described the judgment as “a major victory for the Nigerian people in the collective fight against terror.”
He added, “This ruling stands as a watershed moment – not only for the countless innocent Nigerians whose lives and livelihoods have been brutally disrupted by the reign of terror incited and financed by Ekpa and his collaborators – but also for the strengthening of bilateral relations between Nigeria and Finland.”
Idris recalled that Ekpa’s incitement caused severe destruction saying, “For years, Ekpa’s reckless incitement and orchestration of violence through IPOB terror activities unleashed unspeakable pain: families shattered, businesses destroyed, children orphaned, and entire communities forced to live under fear.”
“Hundreds of lives were lost, and many more maimed, in pursuit of a destructive and unlawful agenda that sought to undermine the peace, unity, and sovereignty of our nation.”
He added that Finland’s judiciary had reinforced global accountability. Idris said, “By upholding the rule of law and ensuring that justice is served, the Finnish judiciary has not only vindicated Nigeria’s consistent position on this matter but also sent a clear signal to extremists everywhere that the world is watching, and justice will catch up with those who seek to destabilize societies through terror.”
