By Okechukwu Nwanguma
The sentencing of Simon Ekpa by the Päijät-Häme District Court in Finland to six years in prison for terrorism-related offences is both a welcome development and a sobering reminder of the Nigerian government’s chronic failure to confront insecurity and hold perpetrators of violence accountable at home.
Ekpa, who styled himself as the “Prime Minister of Biafra Government in Exile,” exploited the pains and frustrations in Nigeria’s Southeast to incite violence, mobilise armed groups, and promote bloodshed through social media. The Finnish court found that his activities crossed the line from political agitation to terrorism – organising armed groups, facilitating weapons acquisition, and urging his followers to commit crimes in Nigeria.
That justice came not in Nigeria but in faraway Finland is deeply telling. A foreign government investigated, prosecuted, and convicted a man for sponsoring terrorism that has killed and maimed Nigerians, while our own authorities looked away. This is not only an indictment of Simon Ekpa but also of a Nigerian state that continues to play politics with terrorism, corruption, and insecurity.
We have seen this pattern before. The UK tried and sentenced James Ibori, a former Nigerian governor, for corruption, even as the EFCC and Nigerian courts prevaricated, compromised, and allowed him to escape justice at home. Now, Finland has done what Nigeria failed to do with Ekpa – hold him accountable for his role in the violence that has devastated communities in the Southeast.
Meanwhile, those who orchestrate violence locally – whether in the guise of “unknown gunmen,” political thugs, or state-backed militias – are hardly ever investigated, let alone prosecuted. Instead, ordinary citizens, journalists, and peaceful protesters bear the brunt of police and military crackdowns.
The Nigerian government cannot continue outsourcing justice to foreign jurisdictions. It must demonstrate the political will to investigate, prosecute, and punish terrorism and corruption at home, no matter who is involved. Selective justice and impunity only fuel the cycle of violence and erode public trust in institutions.
Simon Ekpa’s conviction should serve as both vindication for his countless victims in the Southeast and a wake-up call to Nigerian authorities: justice delayed is not only justice denied – it is justice outsourced.
Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma is a human rights activist and Executive Director of RULAAC
