The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has welcomed the conviction of pro-Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa by a Finnish court, saying sponsors of terrorism will be held accountable, regardless of their location.
The CDS who spoke shortly after the ruling through his Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau., described the judgement as a landmark victory in the global campaign against terrorism and violent extremism.
The Päijät-Häme District Court in Lahti, Finland sentenced Ekpa to six years in prison for terrorism offences. The court found Ekpa guilty of participating in terrorism.
According to the prosecutor, the charges relate to his activities aimed at re-establishing an independent state in Nigeria’s Biafra region. It was briefly independent in the late 1960s.
Musa said the judgment affirmed that no individual or group sponsoring terrorism against Nigeria would find a haven.
General Musa described the ruling as a landmark victory in the global effort to combat terrorism and violent extremism, noting that the conviction reinforces the principle that those who incite violence and fund terrorism will be held accountable, regardless of their location.
He commended Nigerian security, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies, alongside the country’s diplomats, for providing actionable evidence that aided the conviction.
To Musa, the outcome reflected the power of international collaboration in confronting transnational threats.
