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Finland Authorities Arrest Simon Ekpa, Four Others On Suspicion Of Terrorist Offences
Ekpa has been spreading separatist propaganda through social media platforms.
Helsinki, Finland- Simon Ekpa, the self-acclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been arrested and detained in Finland over allegations of terrorist activities.
Reports from local media in Finland indicate that the District Court of Päijät-Häme ordered Ekpa, a Lahti-based Nigerian municipal politician, to be detained on probable cause for publicly inciting people to commit crimes with terrorist intent.
The court alleges that Ekpa has been spreading separatist propaganda through social media platforms.
The suspected time of the crime for which he has been charged dates back to August 23, 2021, in Lahti, Finland.
In addition to Ekpa, the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has also apprehended four other men on suspicion of terrorist offences.
Ekpa, a Finnish citizen born in 1985, has previously declared himself the leader of a separatist movement seeking to establish an independent Biafran state in southeastern Nigeria.
Authorities suspect that his activities from Finland have incited violence against civilians and law enforcement in the region, along with other crimes.
Detective Chief Inspector Otto Hiltunen of the NBI stated, “The suspect has been promoting these activities through his social media channels, for example.”