Simon Ekpa, a Finnish-Nigerian separatist leader, has been arrested in Finland along with four others over suspected terrorism-related activities.
Ekpa is known as the self-declared Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile.
Reports from Finland say the Päijät-Häme District Court placed Ekpa in custody on charges of publicly inciting a crime with terrorist intent.
The Finnish Central Criminal Police confirmed the arrests in a statement on Thursday, November 21. The statement said five people were detained, including Ekpa, who is the main suspect. He is accused of using public platforms to encourage actions that led to violence against civilians and authorities in South-Eastern Nigeria.
Crime Commissioner Otto Hiltunen, leading the investigation, explained that Ekpa carried out these activities through his social media accounts. The other four suspects were arrested for allegedly funding these activities.
Finnish police also revealed that the investigation involves a Nigerian-born Finnish citizen from the 1980s and that international cooperation has played a key role in the case.
The police said, “Claims will be heard in Päijät-Häme district court today, November 21.”
More details to come…
