22-05-2025
Finland court give date for hearing of Simon Ekpa case
Di Päijät-Häme District Court for Finland don set date to begin di hearing of criminal case against a former municipal politician from Lahti wey dey identified as Simon Ekpa.
Dis na afta di Office of the Prosecutor General for Finland bin confam to BBC Pidgin say dem charge di suspect (Ekpa) wit 'public incitement to commit a crime wit terrorist intent'.
Di district court for Finland tell BBC Pidgin say di defendant (Ekpa) dey for detention and hearing for im case go start for end of May 2025.
Dis na according to Ulla Ristola wey be di District Secretary for di District Court of Päijät-Häme.
According to di District Court of Päijät-Häme for dia document wey BBC Pidgin get, di hearing go last several days and di prosecutors applications for summons, and di defendant written response go dey public for 30 May 2025
"Päijät-Häme District Court go begin hearing a criminal case concerning terrorist crimes, on 30 May 2025. Di defendant for di case na former municipal politician from Lahti, wey currently dey pretrial detention."
Di District Court say di defendant dey "charged wit public incitement to commit a crime wit terrorist intent, participation for di activities of a terrorist group, aggravated tax fraud and violation of di provisions of di Attorneys Act."
Päijät-Häme District Court through di district secretary say di trial go begin wit a preparatory session on 30 May 2025.
"Di main hearing go den begin on di same day, and dey expected to last several days. Di trial go dey at least largely public."
BBC Pidgin gada say na panel of three judges go hear and decide di case.
Di charges against Simon Ekpa
Finnish Deputy Prosecutor General bin charge promoter of di Indigenous People of Biafra Simon Ekpa wit inciting terrorism online.
Di Finland National Prosecution Authority say Ekpa allegedly commit di offence for Lahti between 2021 and 2024.
Di Office of the Prosecutor General for Finland also add say dem dey suspect aggravated tax fraud join di charges.
"Di charges dey related to di suspect activities wey dey aimed at establishing di so-called Biafra region of Nigeria as an independent state," Finland Office of the Prosecutor General tok.
"Di Deputy Prosecutor General don file charges against a Finnish individual for a case wey involve suspected public incitement to commit a crime wit terrorist intent and participation for terrorist group."
"Di alleged acts dey committed for Lahti between 2021 and 2024, along wit related alternative charges and suspected aggravated tax fraud."
Also, Mikko Laaksonen wey be di Senior Detective Superintendent of Finland National Bureau of Investigation tell BBC Pidgin say di charges filed against Ekpa include contribution to activities of terrorist group.
"Prosecution don file charges against Simon Ekpa wit contributing to di activities of a terrorist group and public exhortation to an offence wit terrorist intent."
According to di National Prosecuting Authority, dem say di charged individual (Ekpa) dey for custody and "e don deny say im commit di crime."
We don reach out to Simon Ekpa lawyer, Kaarle Gummerus to get im side of di tori wey we receive from di Finland authority and how dem dey react to am.
More tori on Simon Ekpa dey here:
