|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Claim: A Facebook user claims that Simon Ekpa has been released from prison.
Verdict: False! No credible media outlet has reported such a development in recent times. The latest official report about Simon was on Sept. 1, 2025, when he was sentenced to six years in prison.
Full Text
Earlier last week, demonstrators converged on Abuja highway, demanding the release of the separatist leader, Nnamdi Kanu, after several years in prison over terrorism-related cases.
Following this information, a Facebook user, Okoro James, on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, shared an image of Simon Ekpa, the self-proclaimed Biafran agitator, with the claim that the Finnish court had freed him and awarded him $50,000 in compensation.
Attached to the image is a caption that reads, “BREAKING NEWS: Finland Court Frees Simon Ekpa, Awards Him $50,000 Compensation After Nigerian Government Fails to Appear.”
As of Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, the video had attracted 11 likes, 43 shares, and three comments.
In the comment section, some believed the claim, while others doubted its veracity. Hope Nonso wrote, “Thanks to Chukwu Okike Abiama,” while Samuel Okeniyi asserted, “Fake news.”
Considering the tendency of the post to misinform the audience, DUBAWA conducted this verification to set the record straight.
Verification
DUBAWA subjected the image to a Google Reverse Image Search. This search led us to a similar image that Ekpa shared on his X handle on Feb. 17, 2024.
Further results led us to a similar image uploaded on Facebook, on Oct. 30, 2024, with the caption, “H. E, the P.M. of Biafra Government; Simon Ekpa Njoku.”
After establishing that the image attached to the pot is not recent, we decided to run a keyword search to ascertain Ekpa’s alleged release by the Finnish government. We, however, did not find any reputable media outlet that reported such a development or story.
The last official information DUBAWA found about Simon was on Sept. 1, 2025, when he was sentenced to six years in prison in Finland for a terrorism-related crime.
On the same day, Punch reported a similar development, adding that Ekpa was sentenced to six years in prison for terrorism-related crimes and other offences at the Päijät-Häme District Court in Lahti, Finland.
Conclusion
Our investigation shows that no credible media outlets reported the alleged release of Simon Ekpa. Meanwhile, the image shared alongside the claim had been online for months before his arrest in November 2024.
