A Finnish Court of Appeal on Thursday, October 15, 2026, reduced the prison sentence of Nigerian-born Biafra separatist agitator Simon Ekpa from six years to four years while upholding his convictions on terrorism-related charges.
The appellate bench, comprising Judges Aki Rasilainen and Antti Santaranta, alongside Assistant Judge Johanna Puukka, delivered the ruling following cross-appeals filed after the September 2025 verdict by the Päijät-Häme District Court in Lahti.
The appellate court affirmed the district court’s finding that Ekpa, 41, operated from Finnish soil as the supreme commander of several armed groups active in south-eastern Nigeria. The court maintained his convictions for leading a terrorist organization and publicly inciting terrorist acts through social media platforms.
However, the panel opted to mitigate the total custodial period, citing unique contextual factors surrounding the offenses. In its written judgment released on Thursday, the court noted that the security environment in south-eastern Nigeria presented parallels to situations where grounds for exemption from criminal liability, such as internal conflict, self-defense, or necessity, could arise, even though the legal threshold for full exemption was not met.
While prosecutors had appealed the September 2025 judgment seeking a harsher sentence, the appellate judges concluded that a four-year prison term was proportionate given the mitigated circumstances.
Ekpa has been held in Finnish police custody since November 2024, following his arrest by law enforcement authorities during a sweeping investigation into cross-border terrorism financing and incitement. The period he has served in detention since his arrest will count toward the four-year sentence.
The decision by the Court of Appeal remains subject to further appeal by either the defense or state prosecutors to the Supreme Court of Finland.
