Simon Ekpa
By Victory Oghene
The self-proclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra Government in Exile, Simon Ekpa, who was yesterday sentenced to six years in prison for terrorism-related crimes by a District Court in Finland may be deported to Nigeria after serving his jail term.
NATIONAL WAVES learnt that his citizenship will be revoked if he has a dual citizenship and be deported to Nigeria after serving his sentence
This is going by the Finnish
Nationality Act which states that
“A person who acquired Finnish citizenship through naturalization (not by birth) may have it revoked if convicted of a serious offence against the vital interests of Finland, such as terrorism, treason, high treason, or military service crimes.
They also hold another nationality (so that revocation does not make them stateless). (Kansalaisuuslaki 359/2003, Section 33a)”
AI overview
Recall that Finland introduced this revocation law in 2019, following EU-wide discussions about counterterrorism.
The decision to revoke citizenship is made by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), based on a final criminal conviction and after careful legal review.
“Dual nationals are most at risk — if someone only has Finnish citizenship (i.e., no other nationality), their citizenship cannot be revoked even if convicted of terrorism.”
It would be recalled that Ekpa was arrested by Finnish authorities on 21 November 2024, following an investigation by the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) into allegations of inciting terrorism and promoting violence through social media, activity that was believed to have contributed to unrest in southeastern Nigeria.
Following his arrest, Ekpa was remanded in custody by the Päijät-Häme District Court, which determined that the charge was based on “public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent”, alleged offenses dating from August 2021 to November 2024.
During this period, the NBI also froze Ekpa’s assets, as well as those of his associates and related companies.
