Crime
FINLAND: Simon Ekpa moved to the toughest prison, shares wing with killers, rapists
Remanded leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Simon Ekpa, is being held at the Kylmäkoski vankila (Kylmäkoski prison), one of the world’s toughest prisons.
The high security prison is in Vanhamaantie, Akaa, Finland.
The Finnish government had announced the arrest of Ekpa alongside four others on suspicion of terror-related activities, including incitement to violence and terrorism financing.
The Finnish police confirmed that Ekpa, who described himself as the Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government-in-Exile, allegedly used social media to promote violence in the South-East region, targeting civilians and authorities.
According to local publication, Yle, Ekpa was remanded in custody by the Päijät-Häme District Court on charges of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.
It was gathered that the Finnish government had frozen Ekpa’s assets, as well as those of companies associated with him and four of his accomplices, who are also in remand.
Yle, in a report, stated that Ekpa is being held in the Kylmäkoski vankila.
The Head of International Communications of Yle, Mika Ojamies, in response to enquiries from our correspondent, also confirmed that the suspect was in the prison.Kylmäkoski vankila: Finland’s toughest prison.
The Kylmäkoski vankila was built in 1993 for male prisoners.
The facility, which is known for accommodating people who have committed serious crimes, including violent suspects and sex offenders, is the largest closed-unit facility in Finland.
The prison currently houses 113 prisoners, mostly convicts and remand inmates.
The Kylmäkoski vankila was featured in a 2023 Netflix documentary series, Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons.
A journalist, Raphael Rowe, entered the wards and interacted with some of the inmates, including the most dangerous criminals in Finland.
Among the inmates interviewed were Toni, Olli, Michael, Danny, and Jani, who had histories of violence and crime.
Two of the inmates, Toni and Olli, were notorious for their brutal actions, and did not show remorse for their crimes during the conversation with Rowe.
Another inmate, identified as Antti, told the reporter about the ‘lizard wing,’ a section created for dangerous inmates, particularly sex offenders and informants.
The inmates warned that in prison, people mind their business—but not when it comes to sexual offenders.
“If you’re some sexual offenders, or something… paedophile, you get knocked the f**k out,” Jani stated.
In the documentary, one inmate was moved to a different wing after punching a new prisoner who had snitched on him years earlier.
Some prisoners recounted their violent acts, including one who shot his brother’s killer in the head, an 18-year-old boy who stabbed a man in the neck, and another inmate who ran over a person with a car before shooting the person with a bow.
In a different case, a 50-year-old prisoner stated that he had been convicted 11 times in Finland, six times in Sweden, twice in Denmark, and once in Norway, spending a total of 23 years in prison for various violent crimes, including two murders.
Power in the prison is often tied to the possession of drugs.
One prisoner confirmed that the man with the most drugs becomes the ‘king’ of the prison.
Most of the prisoners are heavily tattooed, with their massive, frames making them even more intimidating.
With their intimidating appearances and violent histories, the prisoners in Kylmakoski show no remorse for their crimes.
Most of the prisoners committed crimes while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, making them even more dangerous.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, commends all operatives involved in these high-profile arrests for their professionalism, diligence, and dedication to upholding Nigeria’s international law enforcement obligations.
The Nigeria Police Force has recorded a significant breakthrough in its fight against transnational organized crime with the arrest of two internationally wanted fugitives: Felix Omoregie alias “Eghosa Johnson Omoregie,” a suspected ringleader of a human trafficking syndicate wanted by Belgian authorities, and Okwudili Sabastine Ezeje, a key member of a Dubai-based armed robbery gang
In a statement dated May 7, 2025, with the reference number Ref No. CZ.5300/FPRD/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.6/433, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Force PRO, Force HQ Abuja, said: “Felix Omoregie, the alleged mastermind of a large-scale human trafficking operation, had been declared wanted by the Belgian authorities through an INTERPOL Red Notice issued on 19th December 2023, and was arrested in Benin City, Edo State, following diligent intelligence and enforcement efforts by Police operatives.
He is scheduled to be arraigned at the Federal High Court in Benin City.
Omoregie is accused of trafficking young Nigerian women, including minors, to Italy and subsequently dispersing them across Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Victims were subjected to voodoo-based oaths and psychological coercion, with fabricated debts ranging between €20,000 and €50,000 used to manipulate and control them.
His criminal network involved handlers in Brussels and France who managed the victims’ activities and remitted proceeds to him.
Following a conviction in absentia in Belgium in 2021 for multiple counts of aggravated human trafficking and criminal organization leadership, Omoregie fled to Nigeria.
Upon his arrest, a search of his premises revealed incriminating materials, including a photocopy of a passport intended for a planned relocation to Canada.
In a separate operation, the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, apprehended 37-year-old Okwudili Sabastine Ezeje at a hideout in Nsukka, Enugu State.
Ezeje is wanted by authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a series of serious crimes, including armed robbery, cultism, drug trafficking, and other organized criminal activities.
Intelligence gathered reveals that Ezeje continued to coordinate criminal operations remotely from Nigeria.
He has been directly linked to several high-profile robberies in Dubai and Sharjah, including an armed robbery at a grocery store in Dubai Mall, a targeted hit on Al Ansari Exchange in Jumeirah, and another heist at a Bureau de Change in Jebel Ali Village.
The arrest was the result of strategic intelligence sharing and operational collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), and the Dubai Police.
The arraignment of Okwudili Ezeje is expected to take place shortly.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, commends all operatives involved in these high-profile arrests for their professionalism, diligence, and dedication to upholding Nigeria’s international law enforcement obligations.
The Nigeria Police Force remains committed to enhancing its global policing partnerships and ensuring that fugitives find no safe haven within our borders.
These arrests serve as a clear message that criminal elements, no matter how far they run or how long they hide, will be brought to justice.
The Force calls on citizens to remain vigilant and cooperative in the fight against organized crime, both at home and abroad.”
…..Reiterates Commitment towards International Partnership
The Nigeria Police Force has recorded a significant breakthrough in its fight against transnational organized crime with the arrest of two internationally wanted fugitives:
Felix Omoregie alias “Eghosa Johnson Omoregie,” a suspected ringleader of a human trafficking syndicate wanted by Belgian authorities, and Okwudili Sabastine Ezeje, a key member of a Dubai-based armed robbery gang.
Felix Omoregie, the alleged mastermind of a large-scale human trafficking operation, had been declared wanted by the Belgian authorities through an INTERPOL Red Notice issued on 19th December 2023, and was arrested in Benin City, Edo State, following diligent intelligence and enforcement efforts by Police operatives.
He is scheduled to be arraigned at the Federal High Court in Benin City. Omoregie is accused of trafficking young Nigerian women—including minors—to Italy and subsequently dispersing them across Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Victims were subjected to voodoo-based oaths and psychological coercion, with fabricated debts ranging between €20,000 and €50,000 used to manipulate and control them.
His criminal network involved handlers in Brussels and France who managed the victims’ activities and remitted proceeds to him.
Following a conviction in absentia in Belgium in 2021 for multiple counts of aggravated human trafficking and criminal organization leadership, Omoregie fled to Nigeria.
Upon his arrest, a search of his premises revealed incriminating materials, including a photocopy of a passport intended for a planned relocation to Canada.
In a separate operation, the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, apprehended 37-year-old Okwudili Sabastine Ezeje at a hideout in Nsukka, Enugu State.
Ezeje is wanted by authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a series of serious crimes including armed robbery, cultism, drug trafficking, and other organized criminal activities.
Intelligence gathered reveals that Ezeje continued to coordinate criminal operations remotely from Nigeria.
He has been directly linked to several high-profile robberies in Dubai and Sharjah, including an armed robbery at a grocery store in Dubai Mall, a targeted hit on Al Ansari Exchange in Jumeirah, and another heist at a Bureau de Change in Jebel Ali Village.
The arrest was the result of strategic intelligence sharing and operational collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), and the Dubai Police.
The arraignment of Okwudili Ezeje is expected to take place shortly.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM., commends all operatives involved in these high-profile arrests for their professionalism, diligence, and dedication to upholding Nigeria’s international law enforcement obligations.
The Nigeria Police Force remains committed to enhancing its global policing partnerships and ensuring that fugitives find no safe haven within our borders.
These arrests serve as a clear message that criminal elements, no matter how far they run or how long they hide, will be brought to justice.
The Force calls on citizens to remain vigilant and cooperative in the fight against organized crime, both at home and abroad.
Government’s second witness in the ongoing trial of Biafra nation agitator, Nnamdi Kanu says the secessionist leader is the founder of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) and operator of Radio Biafra.
At the resumed hearing on the matter, the second prosecution witness, identified as BBB, testified that he was assigned by the then Attorney General of the Federation to investigate Kanu.
But attempts by the prosecution to tender a letter authorising the investigation was objected by Agabi on grounds that the document was not front loaded.
This prompted the prosecution’s withdrawal of the document, a request granted by the court.
The court, therefore, ordered that all materials intended for the trial must be served in advance and listed properly, stressing that no document would be admitted unless previously disclosed to the defence.
In another aspect, the presiding judge, James Omotosho, has instructed that only 16 out of the 26 listed would be recognised in court.
This followed a bit of confusion about legal representation, where a certain Charles Ude claimed to be a member of Nnamdi Kanu’s legal team.
But lead defence counsel, Kanu Agabi, SAN, disassociated the team from Ude’s claim, with Kanu affirming that Agabi remains his official legal representative.
Similarly, the court has barred a relative of the defendant, Favour Kano, from attending three successive proceedings of the court, after she admitted doing a live stream while the judge was seated.
Justice Omotosho revealed she had also posted the content online. The matter was subsequently adjourned to May 7 for the continuation of the examination-in-chief of the second prosecution witness.
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