By Pascal Ibe

Claim

A Facebook user, Kenneth Ikonne shared an image of the convicted self-acclaimed Biafran prime minister, Simon Ekpa, depicting him in tears after the Finnish court judgment.

Verdict

The image was altered. Investigation by FACTWATCH Nigeria indicated that the photo was a cutout from a video when Mr Ekpa’s trial began in May. However, he wasn’t sobbing in that video.

Full Text

Six years may be too little or too long to serve as punishment for Simon Ekpa, who incited terrorism in South-east Nigeria.

Ekpa is the self-acclaimed prime minister of the Biafra Government in Exile (BRGIE), a faction of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

He has been linked to deadly attacks in the region.

The Päijät-Häme District Court on Monday sentenced him to six years in prison after finding him guilty of terrorism-related charges.

The court ruled that Ekpa had participated in a terrorist organisation and had publicly incited crimes for terrorist purposes.

In its verdict, the court said that Ekpa had used his significant social media following to stoke tensions in the Biafra region between August 2021 and November 2024.

It added that Ekpa was an influential member of a Biafran separatist movement, which established armed groups aimed at bringing about Biafran independence by force.

Reacting to this, a Facebook user, Kenneth Ikonne shared an image of the convicted self-acclaimed Biafran prime minister, Simon Ekpa, depicting him in tears after the Finnish court judgment.

The Facebook user posted the photo and wrote, “Why was Simon Ekpa teary upon conviction for terrorism in Finland? I don’t think it was the prospect of serving time in a Finnish jail!

“What is bothering Ekpa is the principle in Finnish law that a naturalized Finnish citizen automatically loses his citizenship upon a terrorism conviction, and is liable for automatic deportation to his home country, upon serving out his sentence.

“What Ekpa is therefore pondering here is the inevitable deportation to “the zoo”, where he must keep a momentous date with “the Janjaweed”!

“It’s a dreadful prospect indeed!😂😂😂

The post had since garnered hundreds of comments and reactions on Facebook.

Verification

First, FACTWATCH Nigeria subjected the photo, which was shared by the Facebook user, to an AI detection device, Illuminarty. Results from the device showed that this image was 40% AI-generated.

We also checked the image on Google Lens Search and found out this was a screenshot from the video when Mr Ekpa’s trial began in May.

The video was first posted online by YLe, a local newspaper in Finland.

However, this Fact Checker discovered that the video was distributed by TheCable and other media organizations in Nigeria via their Facebook page.

In the original video, Mr Ekpa was not sobbing but quiet.

Conclusion

A screenshot from the video showing the start of Simon Ekpa’s trial in May was altered to depict when he was crying after the court ruling.