FG hasn't filed for Simon Ekpa's extradition from Finland – AGF clarifies

The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has refuted claims that the federal government has initiated extradition proceedings against Simon Ekpa, a Finland-based Biafra agitator.

A statement released by Fagbemi’s media aide, Kamarudeen Ogundele, described recent reports as false and misleading. The AGF insisted that he had not stated that Nigeria had commenced the extradition process.

“The attention of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has been drawn to media reports where he was erroneously reported to have said that the federal government had commenced an extradition process against Simon Ekpa,” the statement read.

“The report is untrue and a complete departure from what the AGF said at the Stakeholders/Citizen Engagement Forum held on Thursday in Abuja.”

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Fagbemi explained that the Nigerian government is currently in contact with Finnish authorities to ensure that Ekpa faces justice. However, the outcome of the ongoing legal process in Finland will guide any further steps.

Ekpa, a prominent figure in the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is being prosecuted in Finland for allegedly spreading terrorist propaganda on social media. His arrest took place in November 2024 in Lahti municipality.

The Finnish district court of Päijät-Häme ordered Ekpa’s imprisonment over claims that he incited violence and acts of terror in Nigeria’s South-East via his online platforms.

His legal team, now led by lawyer Kaarle Gummerus, confirmed that the trial is scheduled to begin in June 2025.

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