Ekpa was arrested alongside four others on November 21, for alleged terrorism activities, including terrorism financing between August 23, 2021 and November 18, 2024.

The Finnish police had said that Ekpa “has contributed to violence and crimes against civilians in South-eastern Nigeria.”

The District Court of Päijät-Häme later ordered that the pro-Biafra agitator be imprisoned “with probable cause on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.”

A Nigerian-Finnish citizen, Ekpa has desclared himself as the Prime Minister of Biafra in several tweets and broadcasts, and had directed IPOB members to carry out deadly attacks in South East Nigeria.

The police have a suspicion that the Biafra agitator committed the crime of collecting money in violation of the Finnish Money Collection Act.

A Senior Detective Superintendent at Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, Mikko Laaksonen, said that the district court had set May 2025 as the deadline for prosecutors to present charges against Ekpa.

Mr Laaksonen said, “Due to the ongoing investigation, no further details can be disclosed.

“The date for bringing up possible charges by the prosecution was set by the district court to May 2025.”

Mr Laaksonen, however, said Mr Ekpa and the Finnish authorities may request a re-evaluation of the deadline after two weeks.

“In a basic situation regarding the remand, the next possible hearing can be held no earlier than two weeks from the previous hearing, should the parties in question seek for the matter to be re-evaluated by the district court,” he explained.

The Nigerian government had said its “sustained diplomatic pressure” on Finnish authorities resulted in Ekpa’s arrest in Finland.

The government explained that their “request for action” to the Finnish government featured “high-level engagements between countries.”

The senior detective superintendent confirmed that there was international cooperation in the arrest and prosecution of the pro-Biafra agitator.

“International cooperation is part of the investigation due to the nature of the case, but no further comment can be given on the subject at this point,” the official stated.