The Finland judiciary does not grant bail as a result separatists agitator, Simon Ekpa, will spend Christmas in detention.
A Senior Detective Superintendent at Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, Mikko Laaksonen, told The PUNCH in an email.
Also, Ekpa is scheduled to face charges in May 2025, according to Finnish authorities.
Laaksonen said, “Finnish criminal procedure/coercive measures do not recognise bail procedure.
“Our procedure is based on, depending on the case, remand or travel ban as coercive measures for limiting freedom of movement for persons suspected of offences to which such measures are applicable.”
The Finnish government had last week announced the arrest of Ekpa alongside four others on suspicion of terror-related activities, including incitement to violence and terrorism financing.
The Finnish police confirmed that Ekpa, described as the self-proclaimed Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government-in-Exile, allegedly used social media to promote violence in the South-East region, targeting civilians and authorities.
According to local publication Yle, Ekpa was remanded in custody by the Päijät-Häme District Court on charges of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said Nigeria and Finland do not have extradition agreement..
Also, Finland through the Finnish Embassy in Nigeria said it could not comment on the matter.
It would be recalled that the Nigerian military has through the Director of Defence Information, Brig Gen Tukur Gusau, demanded that Ekpa should be extradited to Nigeria to face criminal charges.
Many Nigerians online also demanded his repatriation to Nigeria to face terrorism charges.
A lawyer who appeared on ‘The Morning Show’ of AriseTV, Chukwuma Ezeala, said Ekpa was charged with terrorism and countries involved must cooperate.
He said he could be tried in Nigeria or Finland.
“On the issue of extradition, for him to be extradited, there must be a bilateral agreement. From all indications, Nigeria doesn’t have a bilateral agreement with Finland.
“However, since it’s an international crime, he can still be extradited to Nigeria based on international conventions.
“The question will now be, can Nigeria satisfy conditions or requirements of extraditing a person to Nigeria without a bilateral relationship,” Ezeala queried.
