By Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja
Hon. Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Sir,
The Courts of law of Finland have just delivered judgment on the terrorism trial of Simon Ekpa. This is reported online at: https://lawandsocietymagazine.com/just-in-finnish-court-sends-simon-ekpa-to-six-years-in-jail-prison-for-terrorism-crimes/
The trial commenced in May 2025, so it has taken just three months.
Meanwhile, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was “abducted” from Kenya in the year June 2021 and subjected to “rendition” and then subjected to trial in Nigerian courts of law in the same year. His previous initial terrorism trial commenced in the year 2015.
So for the past four years, he has been undergoing trial in Nigerian courts, whereas within three months, the courts of law of Finland completed the trial of Simon Ekpa for similar charges of promoting terrorism within the South-East region of Nigeria.
It is my humble submission that, as a matter of urgency and with immediate effect, Nigeria ought to sign an Extradition Treaty with Finland. And after such is signed, the Hon. AGF should submit the same as an Executive Bill to His Excellency, Mr President, for onward transmission to the National Assembly for enactment.
The essence the proposed Extradition Treaty is to allow for suspects who are charged with terrorism related offences to be sent to Finland for trial.
Alternatively, the judges of Finland can try such terrorism suspects by virtue of virtual court proceedings.
Either Nigeria pays in foreign currency to the government of Finland for their provision of this service or they pay in kind by accepting convicted foreigners from Finland.
There are other things that the Nigerian government can trade-off with.
In the year 2021, the Office of the Hon. AGF announced that it had identified 93 financiers of terrorism in Nigeria. In the year 2022, the same Office announced that it was making preparations to try 800 arrested terrorism suspects under the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2022.
Up till today, the Office of the AGF has not yet commenced, talk less of completing the said terrorism trials.
Let us give the courts of law of Finland a chance, afterall they have shown that they don’t joke about terrorism trials!!!
Yours faithfully,
Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja,
1st September 2025.
The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.
Nigeria’s slow justice system makes cases drag for years, unlike Finland’s swift trial of Simon Ekpa—this clearly shows the urgent need for reform.