According to the Senior Detective Superintendent of Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, Mikko Laaksonen, the district court of Päijät-Häme has set the deadline for prosecutors to file potential charges.
“After a remand hearing, the next possible hearing could take place no earlier than two weeks, should any party seek a re-evaluation by the district court,” Laaksonen said.
Finland local media last Thursday, announced that the self-declared Prime Minister of Biafra Republic Government was remanded in custody by the court on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.
The Finnish Central Criminal Police accused Ekpa of using social media platforms to promote attacks targeting civilians and government personnel in Nigeria’s South-East region.
In a statement on November 21, the Finnish Police said Ekpa and four others were arrested “on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent”, while four others were arrested “for financing a terrorist crime”
“Claims will be heard in Päijät-Häme district court today, November 21,” the police added.
The statement said his “detention demands are related to the preliminary investigation, in which a Finnish citizen of Nigerian background, born in the 1980s, is suspected of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.
“The police suspect that the man has promoted his efforts from Finland by means that have led to violence against civilians and authorities as well as other crimes in the region of South-Eastern Nigeria.”
The statement quoted the head of the investigation, Crime Commissioner Otto Hiltunen from the Central Crime Police as saying that “the man has carried out this activity, among other things, on his social media channels”.
“Four other persons are suspected of financing the aforementioned activity. All five suspects of the crime have been arrested during the beginning of the week.
“International cooperation has been carried out during the preliminary investigation,” the statement added.
Ekpa resides in the Lahti region of the country and is a member of the National Coalition Party (NCP), serving on Lahti’s public transport committee.
His arrest came a few days after several deadly attacks were carried out in the South-East by suspected members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).