By Pascal Ibe
Claim
Amid the trial of the factional leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Simon Ekpa, by a Finnish court, a YouTube video depicting Simon Ekpa fighting a police officer has continued to trend.
The video was published by Greenlight Africa with a caption that reads, “Simon Fights Police Officer In Court Hearing Today.
The video has garnered over 47k views and more than 1.1k likes on YouTube. It has also been distributed to the X platform.
Background
In May, Finnish prosecutors charged Ekpa, with inciting terrorism in connection with efforts to establish an independent state of Biafra in Nigeria.
Finland’s National Prosecution Authority confirmed that it had charged “a Finnish individual in a case involving suspected public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent and participation in the activities of a terrorist group.”
The alleged offences occurred in the city of Lahti between 2021 and 2024.
While authorities did not disclose the name of the accused, Finnish public broadcaster YLE reported that the individual is Simon Ekpa, a dual Finnish-Nigerian national and self-proclaimed leader of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile.
Ekpa has been linked with sponsoring deadly attacks in Nigeria’s Southeast since 2021.
Verifying this claim
First, FACTWATCH Nigeria watched the video thoroughly to the end and found out that there’s no where in the video that showed Simon Ekpa fighting with a Finnish police officer. This is an indication that the claim is false.
Many photos and clips displayed in the video have nothing to do with Simon Ekpa’s trial.
Aside from reporting the commencement of Ekpa’s trial on May 30, YLE and another credible news organization in Finland are yet to provide an update on the case as of 7th June.
No reputable news organization in Nigeria has also reported anything about the trial.
Verdict
This claim is FALSE. It was a deliberate act that generated traffic on YouTube.
