A Finnish Court of Appeal has reduced the prison sentence of Biafra separatist Simon Ekpa from six years to four years while upholding his convictions for terrorism related offences.
The court gave the ruling on Thursday after considering Mr Ekpa’s appeal against the September 2025 judgment of the Päijät-Häme District Court, which sentenced him to six years in prison.
Prosecutors had also appealed the judgment, seeking a longer sentence.
According to Finnish public broadcaster Yle, the appeal court upheld Ekpa’s conviction for participating in the activities of a terrorist group and publicly inciting people to commit crimes with terrorist intent.
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The court, however, reduced his sentence after considering the circumstances surrounding the offences and evidence presented during the appeal.
Ekpa argued that an armed conflict was ongoing in south-eastern Nigeria and that international humanitarian law, rather than Finland’s terrorism laws, should apply to his activities.Buy Maps
The court found evidence supporting the existence of an internal armed conflict but ruled that the fighting did not meet the legal threshold for a civil war.
It said the clashes largely involved attacks on police stations and road checkpoints, adding that there was insufficient evidence that the armed groups could sustain military operations involving prolonged fighting and strategic planning.
The court rejected Simon Ekpa’s argument that the conflict removed terrorist intent from his actions but considered the circumstances when determining his sentence.
According to the court, prosecutors had argued that Ekpa operated from Finland as the leader of several armed groups in south-eastern Nigeria seeking to establish an independent Biafran state.
The groups were accused of carrying out attacks on police stations, government buildings and military roadblocks.
Ekpa, 41, has been in custody since his arrest in Finland in November 2024.
The appeal court also noted that the district court had convicted him of two other offences, but those convictions were not part of the appeal.
Source:QEDNG
