02/09/2025
FROM GRANDSTANDING TO ACCOUNTABILITY: Simon Ekpa's Journey from Social Media Fame to Prison
By Kamen Chuks Ogbonna
Finland is rated as one of the safest countries in the world.
In fact, Finland is only second to Iceland in safety rating in the world as a result of its very low crime rate, stable political environment, and high level of trust in public institutions.
Finland's key economic sector is manufacturing. The largest industries are electronics, machinery, vehicles and other engineered metal products, forest industry, and chemicals.
Finland has timber and several mineral and freshwater resources.
That is the country that Ebonyi State-born Simon Ekpa took up its citizenship and was enjoying its profound peaceful environment while deliberately fueling insecurity in the Southeast region of Nigeria and making money while at it.
When Nigeria made a formal complaint to the Finnish government over the activities of Mr Simon Ekpa,
The country initially investigated him and arrested him for the crime of crowdfunding with the evidence sourced from his videos online,
Nigerians were clearly dissatisfied with this and demanded for his extradition and prosecution for terrorism.
The Finland government sent a response to Nigeria to bring evidence to use in supporting the allegations against him, especially as he is a Finnish citizen.
The office of the National security adviser set up a six man team headed by a lady who is a special adviser in the office of the NSA. Also selected were one person each from the police, DSS, NIA and two other security agencies.
The committee was saddled with the responsibility of gathering evidence of Simon Ekpa's atrocities across the states in the South-East region.
These include cases reported at the police formations in the zone.
The thorough and painstaking manner with which the 6 man committee approached the assignment is indeed worthy of applause and commendation.
After visiting the states in the Southeast and gathering these pieces of evidence, they sent a comprehensive report back to the Finnish authorities.
Based on this report, Finland immediately approved the relocation of Simon Ekpa from a low security facility and to a maximum security prison, and that was when it dawned on Ekpa that there was fire on the mountain.
With his conviction for terrorism, the Ngbo, Ohaukwu Local Government Area-born rabble rouser has made history as the first African and the third person in history to be convicted for terrorism in the otherwise peaceful Finland.
He was found guilty of using his social media accounts to incite terror acts in Nigeria, seeking the independence of Biafra through illegal means, tax fraud, and violating the lawyer's Act. Simon Ekpa, the self-appointed prime minister of Biafra, worked as a paralegal in Finland.
The implication of this is that he will lose his citizenship after serving his six year jail term and will be extradited to Nigeria to face trial for his crimes.
The speed with which the trial and conviction of Mr Ekpa in Finland was handled is a clear indictment on Nigeria who has been unable to make headway with the trial of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu since he was renditioned from Kenya some years back.
For any society to function appropriately, whether as a country, state, or community,
It must have strong institutions, rich cultural heritage, and people in charge of these institutions who are committed to sustainable values and development.
Finland is famous for its dedication to sustainability, rich heritage, and beautiful landscapes.
Finland's high ranking as a peaceful country is due to its low crime rates, stable political environment, and high level of trust in institutions.
The frightened look on the face of Simon Ekpa as he was handed his sentence should serve as a lesson to people who allow themselves to be led astray with what they watch on social media.
The Ngbo-born young man who was busy grandstanding and dishing out instructions with his social media handle as the supposed Prime Minister of the 'autopilot Biafra' while collecting donations from our misguided brothers abroad had the temerity to tell the Finnish court that he was a mere content creator.
The conviction of Mr Simon Ekpa should serve as a wake up call on those communities still supporting and harbouring miscreants masquerading as freedom fighters to, as a matter of urgency, rise up and assist the security agencies in getting rid of them.
The carnage, destruction of properties, and bloodshed that the activities of these criminals have wrecked on the region will take us several years to recover from.
In fact, it will require appeasement of land for Ala Igbo to settle the weeping souls of the thousands of its youths whose lives got cut short while the insecurity lasted.
I, for one, never believed that an Igbo man would relocate to the forest under any guise to commence the killing and kidnap of his own people.
That is why there is a need for moderation on the use of social media platforms.
I sincerely think the cyber law recently passed in Nigeria should be strictly implemented by the security agencies as a matter of urgency.
Keep following š Nigeria Youths Arise for more details.
