Simon Ekpa’s extradition to Nigeria upon approval by Finnish authorities has been making local headlines. This development follows an earlier announcement that a court in Finland has set a date for his extradition. In November 2024, Simon Ekpa, alongside four others were arrested and remanded by the District Court of Päijät-Häme for inciting terrorism in Nigeria.
Following his arrest, the Nigerian government had appraised Finland for the action and desired Ekpa’s extradition to Nigeria for a trial. The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa had expressed his pleasure and issued a statement that was delivered by General Tukur Gusau.
“The CDS is happy with his arrest in Finland, with the hope this will be a step towards his extradition to Nigeria so that he will face justice.”
Simon Ekpa’s arrest and imprisonment was largely anchored on the gravity of the charges against him. These charges include inciting terrorism, funding separatist activities, social media incitement to encourage violence and disruption in Nigeria.
Who is Simon Ekpa?
Simon Ekpa is an Ebonyi-born lawyer, politician and activist. The 40-year old lawyer began to gain prominence in 2019 when he became more vocal in the Biafra independence movement, and was more involved with IPOB. By 2021, Ekpa sparked reactions on social media with his public renouncement of his Nigerian citizenship. His outburst was in response to a nomination of the Institute of Management Consultants in Nigeria.
“I am not interested in anything that will move Nigeria forward”. According to him, “Nigeria is not structured nor created to move forward, so anybody trying to move Nigeria forward is already a failure”.
He went further to pledge that “I am now putting everything I have to the disintegration of Nigeria and restoration of Biafra as that is the only way to move forward, anything outside this, don’t bring my name”.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), have repeatedly disassociated from him. Alongside his intense separatist activities, Simon Ekpa’s social media incitement was a major premise for his arrest in Finland. In 2024, following his arrest, IPOB issued a statement where they blatantly denied the activist, stating that he was never a member of the group and that he was a “destructive agent”.
Despite the news of the approval of his client’s extradition, Simon Ekpa’s lawyer, Kaale Gummerus says that the case is still pending and he doesn’t have any information regarding an extradition. He reported that he already received the pretrial file for Ekpa’s case, and he will appear in court for trial in June.
Ekpa, who had repeatedly paraded himself as the “Prime Minister of Biafra” may have been contributing to Biafra’s quest for independence. However, his actions were increasingly viewed as not merely political but also constituting real security threats against the Nigerian government. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour recently shared a controversial stance on ethnicity and language in Lagos state.
As the case continues to unfold, all eyes remain on the Finnish and Nigerian judicial system, with many awaiting the final proceedings and results of Simon Ekpa’s extradition to Nigeria.
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