The extradition of Nigerian fugitive and self-professed leader of Biafra, Simon Ekpa, has been approved by the government of Finland.
This followed the order for his extradition by a Finnish court.
Finnish media reports indicated that the extradition is due on July 15, 2025.
The Paijat Hame District Court sitting in Lahti gave the order on April 18, 2025. The development is a major diplomatic victory for Nigeria, which had for long been clamouring for his extradition.
The Biafran separatist leader has repeatedly been accused by the Federal Government of Nigeria of treason, and responsibility for the insecurity in the East of the country via the Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) and its security arm, the Eastern Security Network( ESN).
Nigeria’s security agencies regularly accuse Ekpa and the IPOB and the ESN of having a hand in the insecurity in the South East of the country.
He has consistently denied the allegations, and instead, accused the Federal Government of engineering the huge incidence of insecurity in the area.
If the extradition is activated, he would be the second Biafran separatist to suffer such fate, following the earlier extradition of another Biafran agitator, Nnamdi Kanu.
Kanu is facing charges similar to those for which Ekpa is being sought by the Federal Government
