The Finnish police say Simon Ekpa, the self-acclaimed leader
of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), will remain in custody
until his trial.
The police said the Finnish legal system does not permit his
bail due to the nature of the offence he is being held for.
On November 21, law enforcement in the northern European
nation arrested the pro-Biafra agitator.
He was subsequently sent to prison by the district court of
Päijät-Häme for “spreading terrorist propaganda on social media”.
Ekpa was said to have committed the crime in 2021 in Lahti
municipality.
He is accused of instigating violence and inciting terror in
the south-east of Nigeria through his social media pages.
The federal government has been demanding the extradition of
Ekpa, a dual citizen of Finland and Nigeria, for prosecution.
Also, Ekpa is scheduled to face charges in May 2025.
When asked if Ekpa’s charges were bailable, Mikko Laaksonen,
a senior detective superintendent at Finland’s National Bureau of
Investigation, in an email sent to PUNCH on Saturday, said: “Finnish criminal
procedure/coercive measures do not recognise bail procedure.”
“Our procedure is based on, depending on the case, remand or
travel ban as coercive measures for limiting the freedom of movement for
persons suspected of offences to which such measures are applicable,” he added.
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