Simon Ekpa

Simon Njoku Ekpa (born 21 March 1985) is a Finnish politician and Biafran political activist. In 2022, while in Finland, he declared the activation of the Biafra Government In Exile (BGIE), and in 2023 declared himself the leader (titled "Prime Minister") of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE). (BRGIE works for the total independence and reinstatement of Biafra, a short-lived state in West Africa, which existed from 1967 until 1970.) In September 2025, he was sentenced to six years in prison on terrorism-related charges. Ebonyi State had previously been part of Biafra, a partially recognized state that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970.

He won the Triple Jump silver medal for Nigeria at the 2003 African Junior Athletics Championships in Cameroon. and renounced his Nigerian citizenship the following year. In July 2024, he said he had returned the medals to the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Since 2007, he has lived with his family in Lahti, Finland. He learned Finnish, became a citizen and did military service He has also served as the Chairman of the Playground Board, in the City Lahti, a position he held between 2017 until 2021.

Ekpa ran as a candidate in the 2017 Finnish municipal elections and was also a candidate in the 2022 Finnish county elections under the National Coalition Party of Finland. , he serves as a public transport officer for the Lahti region. Yle has referred to him as a businessman. In 2023, the Universal Peace Federation awarded Ekpa Ambassador for Peace at the African Day Celebration in Helsinki, Finland. Ekpa became familiar with the legal field while on internship at his ex-wife's law office.

Ekpa has stated that he is an expert, a legal advisor, and has a Master of Law (LLM) degree from the Welsh Aberystwyth University, but upon inquiry by Yle, the university didn't give any information about the degree.

In July 2021, Ekpa was announced the lead broadcaster for Radio Biafra, associated with the separatist organisation Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) after the arrest of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu. However, Ekpa was not allowed to broadcast for violation of the rules of the organisation. In 2022, IPOB accused Ekpa of illegal activities and stated that IPOB was a peaceful organization. In July 2023, the Daily Post said that Ekpa led a faction of IPOB, as did Premium Times in May 2024. According to Ekpa, IPOB was dissolved in a vote, renamed "Autopilot", and he became its spokesman. In August 2022, Ekpa declared "full activation" of the Biafran Government in Exile. He said: "we also wish to officially announce an alliance and activation of Biafra Government In Exile (BGIE) with the IPOB-Autopilot." In April 2023, he announced that he had been appointed as the prime minister of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE). Nigerian news media have variously referred to him as "prime minister" or "self-acclaimed prime minister" of the government-in-exile. Ekpa stated in 2023 that "Biafra Republic Government In-Exile is registered, approved and legal. Agent of Nigeria, take note!" As of 2024, it has a main office in Maryland, US. Suomen Kuvalehti said in 2024 that "Be it as it may, Ekpa is now at least the prime minister by some."

According to a report from Yle, Ekpa's activism started to gather mainstream attention in February 2023. The local Kokoomus party in Lahti stated that it had started an internal investigation of these claims. A representative of the association Igbo Union Finland said: "He should stop inciting hatred and provoking. Ekpa does not represent the Igbo people of Finland". The Nigerian government has also demanded Finland stop Ekpa's activities. Yle interviews with residents of Enugu suggested extensive fear of Ekpa and compliance with his "sit at home" orders which involved the 2023 Nigerian elections. In late February 2023 Yle reported Ekpa is being suspected of having raised funds in an illegal manner by the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation. As of early 2023, his speeches on Twitter had around 800,000 views. in the southeast and parts of southern Nigeria from 9 to 14 December 2022. On 14 June 2023, Ekpa announced a week-long sit at home campaign from 3 to 10 July 2023, which according to The Whistler recorded 70% compliance. The sit-at-homes have been enforced by gunmen.

In 2023, he declared that the 2023 Nigerian general election would not be held in the Biafra region that year.

Ekpa continued Kanu's sit-at-home orders, to protest the imprisonment of Kanu. In July 2023, he threatened that oil exploitations in the Biafra region would be stopped if Kanu wasn't to be released. However, Ekpa exonerated Kanu from the activities of the Biafra agitations. He said Kanu wasn't responsible for the actions taken to free him. The head of ACLED's Nigerian branch criticizes 'Ekpa's faction' for attacking those not following this curfew. Ekpa denies violence against civilians, by stating "After the creation of the defensive forces, government forces no longer encroach on our area, because we have manpower all over, that protect".

The Nigerian senate asked Finland to extradite Ekpa in July 2023. The conflicting messages caused confusion and fear of violence in the region. The police and military said that people should go about their lawful business. In early February 2024, BRGIE announced the commencement of the Biafra Referendum and revealed the structure of the proposed independent state of Biafra.

BRGIE has stated that it intends to issue a "declaration of Biafra independent state" in late 2024, and that this declaration will bring peace and stability to the West African region. Ekpa said mid-2024 that over 30 million votes had been recorded in an online voting "self-referendum" regarding the sovereignty of Biafra and as of July 2024, he said "over 49 million Biafrans have voted in the ongoing self-referendum". In June 2024, the Organisation of Emerging African States (OEAS), a group that counsels African separatists, said that "the BRGIE referendum further consolidated the self-determination pursuit of the people of Biafra amid decades of alleged marginalization by the Nigerian government." According to Ekpa, only BRGIE has the legitimate right to call for "Biafra's declaration".

At the three-day convention he also announced the formation of the Biafra Liberation Army (BLA), a militant group fighting for secession from Nigeria. He had previously claimed to control the Eastern Security Network, IPOB's armed wing, According to Ekpa, it has a hundred thousand soldiers.

Yle had in February 2023 reported that estimates of the number of gunmen loyal to Ekpa vary greatly, from hundreds to tens of thousands. In June 2024, Ekpa signed a one-year agreement to be represented by the American lobbying firm Moran Global Strategies.

In March 2024, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters (DHQ) declared Ekpa and more than 90 others "wanted" for "terrorism, kidnapping and other crimes." Ekpa responded that he had nothing to do with Nigeria, and declared other people "wanted" in his turn. In May 2024, the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights in Banjul, the judicial arm of the African Union (AU), acknowledged a petition by the BRGIE regarding Kanu and a declaration of the restoration of independent state of Biafra.

In May 2024, Ekpa urged the Nigerian government to engage the Finnish government to mediate in the conflict between BLA and the Nigerian army. In June 2024, a former director of the Nigerian State Security Service called for the extradition of Ekpa to Nigeria. He urged the Nigerian government to initiate negotiations with Finnish authorities to repatriate Ekpa. Nigeria's Chief of Defence Staff Musa also reiterated call for the arrest and prosecution of Ekpa. He accused the Finnish government and the European union of shielding Ekpa, thereby preventing his arrest.

On 30 July 2024, the Biafra Defence Forces killed four Nigerian police operatives. Ekpa classified them as "terrorists" and declared that they should be withdrawn from the Biafran region.

In August 2024, Simon Ekpa and the Biafra Republic Government in Exile ordered 30 days lockdown of the Nigerian government institutions in the South East region, from 28 August to 26 September, excluding private businesses. This action responds to the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu and alleged killings of Christians and Biafrans. Ekpa demands Kanu's release and the withdrawal of Nigerian security forces from the region.

On 20 August 2024, Ekpa unveiled the map of a proposed 40 "United States of Biafra" and announced 2 December 2024 as the date for its official presentation and issuance of a declaration of independence. Declaration happened on 29 November. The Nigerian government, while reacting to the development through the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), stated that it is engaging with the European Union to extradite Ekpa from Finland. In response, the Biafra Republic Government in Exile says it is inviting the Nigerian government to the Biafra restoration declaration convention in Finland for possible dialogue.

Arrest and trial In November 2024, Ekpa was detained by the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), on accusations of terrorist activities in Nigeria. Finnish police said the accusations were under investigation and involved international cooperation. The NBI also arrested four others over alleged terrorist offenses. In January 2025, The Nation reported that two out of the four individuals arrested alongside Ekpa had been released.

Ekpa was remanded into custody by the District Court of Päijät-Häme on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent. He is suspected of committing the crime between 23 August 2021, and 18 November 2024. According to the report, the NBI has frozen his assets, those of his accomplices, and the assets of companies associated with him. This marks his second arrest in Finland; he was previously detained in 2023 on suspicion of illegal fundraising but was released shortly after.

On 3 December 2024, hundreds of Biafrans, who consider Ekpa their Prime Minister, gathered in Lahti to protest against the arrest. His deputy Ngozi Orabueze said that the sit-at-homes championed by Ekpa would continue. She expressed her commitment to ensuring Ekpa's release. In February 2025, Orabueze described herself as deputy prime minister and chief of staff of the United States of Biafra (USB), and Ekpa as the prime minister of that organization. According to the Daily Post as of March 2025, Ogechukwu Nkere is known as the acting prime minister of BRGIE.

President Bola Tinubu commended the Finnish authorities for the arrest. The Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria stated, "Simon Ekpa has been hindering bilateral relations. The cooperation between our two countries is going very well now, and the National Security Adviser has been providing all the evidence.” The statement was made as the Ambassador presented her letter of credence to Tinubu in Abuja. OEAS condemned the arrest and accused Finland of partnering with Nigeria to detain him.

At a preparatory hearing in late May, the prosecutor demanded a six-year prison sentence for various crimes, including participating in a terrorist organisation and tax fraud. Ekpa denied all charges, but admitted a minor tax offence. BRGIE declared a two day lockdown in southeastern Nigeria to mark the hearing.

District Court's Sentencing In September 2025, Ekpa was sentenced to six years in prison. He was found guilty of terrorism-related charges, including supplying armed groups in Nigeria with weapons, and encouraging his followers to commit crimes in the country. He was also convicted of aggravated tax fraud, and claiming to be a practising attorney without authorisation. The court stated that Ekpa's crimes had occurred between August 2021 and November 2024.

Ekpa was also convicted of tax fraud and ordered to pay €29,549 to the state. Ekpa founded a company called Freedom Stream Oy in 2024, a video production company in addition to his earlier founded Ekpa & Co Oy, a law practise. Both of these were deemed to have generated income taxable in Finland, but were not properly reported to the tax authorities. The court deemed Ekpa had earned €67,814 from Google Ireland, but not reported this income to the tax authorities. He was reported to have sizable incomes from abroad.

Ekpa's sentence was not enforced during his right to appeal to the court of appeal (hovioikeus). By 22 October, Ekpa had filed an appeal on the judgment of the district court, and remained in remand detention. An appellate hearing would be held in April or May 2026 at the earliest.