A Finnish-Nigerian former politician on Monday was sentenced to six years imprisonment on terrorism-related charges, local media reported. The Päijät-Häme District Court awarded the punishment to Simon Ekpa, a former councillor of the Lahti municipality as the allegations brought against him were proved beyond doubt. The court convicted him on charge of public exhortation to an offence committed with a terrorist intent and of contributing to the activities of a terrorist group. The court also convicted him of aggravated tax fraud. According to the case, Ekpa was involved in a move in re-establishing an independent state in the Biafra region of southeastern Nigeria. He used his social media following to fuel tensions in the Biafra region from August 2021 to November 2024 as an influential member of a Biafran separatist movement. The movement established armed groups for the independence of Biafra. In the verdict, the court said that Ekpa was also involved in supplying weapons, explosives, and ammunition to the groups through his network. He also encouraged his social media followers to commit crimes in Nigeria. The convict, however, denied the charges brought against him. Earlier this year, The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) completed the large criminal investigation into terrorist offences, started in autumn 2024 and submitted the case to the Deputy Prosecutor General for consideration of charges.