Finnish prosecutors have charged a man with inciting terrorism online, with local media identifying him as Nigerian separatist leader Simon Ekpa.

The National Prosecution Authority said on Friday that the charges involve “public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent and participation in the activities of a terrorist group.” The alleged offenses occurred in Lahti between 2021 and 2024 and relate to efforts to establish Biafra as an independent state in southeastern Nigeria.

Though the authority did not name the accused, Finnish public broadcaster YLE confirmed the individual as Ekpa, a dual Finnish-Nigerian national. He is a self-declared leader of a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and claims to head the Biafra Republic government-in-exile.

Ekpa, who denies the charges, remains in custody. He was previously detained in November 2024. Finnish authorities had also arrested four others on suspicion of financing his activities, but prosecutors dropped their charges due to lack of evidence.

Ekpa has also served as a local representative of Finland’s conservative National Coalition Party in Lahti and has been linked to disinformation campaigns related to his pro-Biafra activism.