A court in Finland has handed a six-year jail term to Simon Ekpa, a pro-Biafra activist, after finding him guilty of terrorism offences.

The Päijät-Häme District Court concluded that Ekpa used his online platforms between August 2021 and November 2024 to stir violent actions in Nigeria’s south-east, including support for a terrorist organisation and incitement to commit terrorism.

According to prosecutors, he encouraged attacks by posting directives on X (formerly Twitter), while also helping to arrange weapons, explosives and ammunition for separatist elements in the region.

The offences were judged under Finnish jurisdiction because they were carried out while Ekpa was residing in Lahti.

In addition to the terrorism convictions, the court also found him guilty of aggravated tax fraud.

The ruling, however, is not final, as Ekpa is entitled to challenge the judgment before a higher court.

More to come…

The Federal Government has warned electricity generation companies (GenCos) that they risk disconnection from the national grid if they fail to comply with new regulatory directives on grid stability.

The directive, issued by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) under order reference NERC/2025/094, requires GenCos to activate Free Governor Control (FGC) on all generating units. The order was signed on August 26, 2025 by Musiliu Oseni, NERC’s vice-chairman, and Dafe Akpeneye, commissioner for legal, licensing, and compliance. It took effect on September 1, 2025.

FGC is a control mechanism that allows a turbine or generator to automatically adjust output in response to frequency changes on the grid, thereby improving stability.

NERC warned that GenCos who fail to integrate FGC by November 30, 2025 would face a 10 percent penalty on invoices linked to non-compliant units. Units that remain non-compliant for 90 consecutive days will be disconnected from the grid.

NERC: Grid failures linked to GenCos’ lapses

The regulator said the move was necessary to curb frequent grid collapses. In 2024, the national grid suffered eight disturbances — five full collapses and three partial failures. Reports from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) cited GenCos’ non-compliance with grid rules as a key cause.

According to NERC, section 12.6.2 of the Grid Code requires all generating units to have fast-acting governors for frequency control. The commission stressed that compliance would improve reliability and ensure a more resilient grid.

“Section 12.6.2 of the Grid Code for the Nigerian Electricity Transmission System requires all generating units to be fitted with fast-acting FGC that is capable of regulating turbine speed and adjusting power output based on frequency deviation exigencies, i.e., primary control,” the order stated.

The order also mandated GenCos to procure Grade Level 5 IoT-enabled meters to monitor compliance in real-time. These devices must be installed and integrated by the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) before the end of October 2025.

NISO will provide hourly compliance tracking, monthly reports to NERC, and impose penalties on defaulting companies.

Consequences for non-compliance

NERC warned: “Any GenCo that fails to comply with the provisions of sections 12.6.2 and 15.8.3 of the Grid Code on the integration and activation of FGC on all generating units by 30 November 2025 shall be liable to a penalty of a prorated 10 per cent of the invoice associated with the defaulting generating unit… Where a generating unit records 90 consecutive days of FGC non-compliance, the affected generating unit shall be disconnected from the grid.”

Reconnection, the order added, will only occur after NISO certifies the unit as fully compliant.

The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has rejected claims by Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State, that the federal government is funding or incentivising bandits.

During a Sunday interview, el-Rufai alleged that the government’s so-called non-kinetic approach to insecurity was essentially a policy of paying and feeding armed groups.

“What I will not do is to pay bandits, give them a monthly allowance or send food to them. Non-kinetic is nonsense. We are empowering bandits. That’s what is going on,” he said.

He further described the policy as misguided, insisting that the only way forward was a hardline strategy: “My position has always been that the only repentant bandit is a dead one. Let’s wipe them out, bomb them, reduce them to nothing. And then the five percent that still want to be rehabilitated can be rehabilitated.”

ONSA: Allegation “baseless and false”

In a statement signed by Zakari Mijinyawa, head of strategic communications at ONSA, the agency said el-Rufai’s allegations are unfounded.

“Neither the ONSA nor any arm of government has been involved in ransom payments or inducements to criminals,” the statement read, adding that the government has instead warned Nigerians against ransom payments.

The NSA’s office explained that its counter-banditry framework has always relied on a dual strategy: aggressive military campaigns alongside community engagements to address root grievances.

It cited successes in Kaduna State—particularly Igabi, Birnin Gwari, and Giwa—where once-terrorised areas now enjoy relative calm. Mijinyawa also listed captured or neutralised bandit leaders, including Boderi, Baleri, Sani Yellow Janburos, Buhari, and Boka, as well as the arrest of former Ansaru commanders who had built camps in the region.

He criticised el-Rufai’s remarks as a dismissal of security forces’ sacrifices: “Denial of the sacrifices made by security personnel is unfair and insulting to their memory.”

The NSA’s office urged the ex-governor to stop politicising national security, stressing that the fight against banditry requires collective responsibility, not political point-scoring.