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Claim: Facebook users shared a video claiming that Simon Ekpa was released in Finland.
Verdict: False! Simon has not been released. The video shared was first published with the false narrative in June and then recirculated after his sentence in September 2025.
Full Text
A video depicting Simon Ekpa’s release has been circulating on Facebook and TikTok.
The footage shows the pro-Biafran agitator exchanging hugs and pleasantries with unidentified men as they enter a building. This video is circulating days after he was found guilty of terrorism offences and sentenced to six years in prison in Finland.
IgboDaily TV posted the video with the caption: “See how Simon Ekpa was released and his followers were jubilating.” As of Sept. 15, 2025, the video had 664k views, 7.8k likes, and 959 conflicting comments.
A user, Esosa Uyigue, was surprised by the claim. He then questioned how quickly Simon had completed his jail term, concluding that Finland’s time zone must differ from other countries’.
He wrote: “The guy is lucky, he has served his six (6) jail term. So soon? What kind of magic is this? Six years have been completed in less than 48 hrs of his sentence. (09/02/2025) Maybe time counting in Finland is different from other parts of the world. Is Finland situated on the planet Mercury?”
Another user, Yakeen Adesina, believed the story to be true. He commented that though the Biafra leader has been released, he will not be allowed to see the outside world “for the next six months.”
The video has generated similar comments on other Facebook accounts, with users expressing conflicting opinions. Considering the claim’s tendency toward misformation, DUBAWA conducted this verification to set the records straight.
Verification
At a glance, DUBAWA noticed that IgboDaily TV initially posted this claim on Facebook on June 17, 2025. On other Facebook and TikTok pages, the video appeared on June 17th or 18th, as seen here, here, and here. Each of these accounts claimed Simon Ekpa had been released.
We further broke the video into keyframes and conducted a reverse image search. Results led to an Instagram account which also posted the footage on June 17, however, with a different caption that read;
“Simon Ekpa arrives in court, beaming a smile to his followers.”
Ben Eze, another Facebook user’s post, corroborated this narrative as seen here.
On the other hand, the last official information DUBAWA found about Simon was on Sept. 1, 2025, when his six-year jail sentence broke in the news. Since then, no newspaper has published any details of his release.
Conclusion
Simon has not been released. IgboDaily TV and other TikTok users’ narratives are false.
