Finland arrested Simon Ekpa and four others for inciting terrorism in Nigeria through a separatist campaign for Biafra, with accusations of financing and promoting violence.

Nigeria has expressed its approval of the arrest of Simon Ekpa, a Biafra separatist leader in Finland, who is accused of terrorism and inciting violence against civilians. Ekpa, who claims to head the so-called ''Biafra Republic Government in Exile,'' was remanded in custody by a Finnish court on Thursday.

He is facing charges in connection with his online campaign advocating for the creation of a separate state of Biafra in southeastern Nigeria. The Nigerian authorities welcomed the arrest, with General Tukur Gusau, spokesperson for the country's defense headquarters, expressing satisfaction during an interview with TRT Afrika. He stated, "We are very happy," and went on to urge Finnish authorities to swiftly extradite Ekpa to Nigeria so that he could be tried in court for the charges of terrorism and inciting violence, particularly in the southeastern region of Nigeria.

General Gusau emphasized that Nigerian authorities had repeatedly called for Ekpa’s extradition, asserting that he should face justice in the country. Ekpa, a dual Finnish-Nigerian national, holds a position as a local representative for Finland's National Coalition Party in Lahti, a city north of Helsinki, where he is part of the public transport committee. He is also known as a self-proclaimed leader of a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a group advocating for the establishment of a breakaway state in southeastern Nigeria.

Following his arrest, Finnish authorities presented Ekpa, 41, before the Paijat-Hame District Court on Thursday. He was charged with “public exhortation to an offence committed with a terrorist intent," as confirmed by the court to AFP news agency. Ekpa was arrested alongside four other members of his group earlier in the week, according to Finnish police.

Investigators in Finland have also requested that the four other individuals be kept in custody, as they are suspected of financing Ekpa's activities. Finnish authorities believe Ekpa incited violence against civilians, public authorities, and other crimes in southeast Nigeria while operating from Finland. Detective Chief Inspector Otto Hiltunen of Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) stated that Ekpa had used his social media channels to carry out these activities.

Dada Olusegun, a special assistant to Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu, expressed his approval of the arrest and voiced hopes for Ekpa’s extradition to Nigeria. On social media, Olusegun mockingly referred to Ekpa’s self-declared title as "prime minister" of the so-called Biafra government in exile, saying, "Thank you Finland. See you soon, Prime Minister."

In recent years, Nigerian authorities have intensified efforts to suppress the separatist movement led by IPOB in the southeastern part of the country. The Nigerian government has blamed the group for frequent attacks on civilians and security forces in the region. IPOB’s main leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is currently standing trial in Nigeria on charges of terrorism.

The separatist movement is reminiscent of the Biafran struggle that led to the Nigerian Civil War in the late 1960s, a conflict that resulted in the deaths of over one million people.