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, findings by Saturday PUNCH have shown.

The high security prison is in Vanhamaantie, Akaa, Finland (pictured here).

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.

Saturday PUNCH 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.

Newcomers often smuggle in drugs, including subutex, cocaine and amphetamines, as well as cell phones. Subutex is a popular Finnish drug.

A prison officer confirmed the troubling trend in the video, noting that dealing with such violent, drug-affected prisoners was a major challenge for the prison system.

Prison issues

A first major problem with the prison is the persistent issue of drug smuggling, which has continued despite efforts to stop it.

Also, a female guard was sacked for having affairs with inmates. According to Yle, the officer was fired in May 2023 over an inappropriate "relationship with a number of male inmates."

Also, a prisoner was said to have tricked guards by using the personal information of another inmate that was due for release.

Finland closed prison

Unlike the open prisons in Finland where prisoners take vacation, go to work and own keys to their rooms, prisoners in closed prisons are restricted and denied freedom.

The cell doors are locked during the times determined in the daily schedule. When the ward is locked, prisoners must be in their cells or in other locations marked in the checklist of prisoners.

The times when the number of prisoners is checked are specified in the daily schedule. Prisoners are obligated to close and lock the cell doors when they leave their cells.

In the prison, a visitor and an inmate are not allowed to take notes or transmit written messages without the permission of the staff.

Also, the prisoner and a visitor may not touch each other during the visit.

Ekpa's remand

Ekpa was remanded by the district court and is scheduled to face charges in May 2025.

A senior detective superintendent at Finland's National Bureau of Investigation, Mikko Laaksonen, had told Saturday PUNCH that Ekpa could not get bail due to the criminal procedure of the country.

"Our procedure is based on the case, remand or travel ban as coercive measures for limiting freedom of movement for persons suspected of offences to which such measures are applicable."

A Finnish legal document obtained by Saturday PUNCH revealed that remand is not a punishment, but a coercive measure implemented during a criminal investigation and trial.

The document added that the purpose of remand imprisonment is to secure the criminal investigation, court proceedings, and enforcement of a sentence and to prevent the remanded person from continuing criminal activities.

"Remand imprisonment is ordered by a court that decides to remand a suspect of an offence. Remand imprisonment ends when a court, a prosecutor, or the police (or other official with the power of arrest) releases the remand prisoner.

"Remand imprisonment ends at the latest when the judgment of a district court becomes final. If the judgment of a district court is appealed, remand imprisonment continues until the judgment of a court of appeal is issued.

"However, if a remand prisoner is sentenced to imprisonment, the remand prisoner may consent to the enforcement and abide by the judgment as regards the sentenced imprisonment even before the judgment has become final. In that case, the sentenced person starts serving the imposed sentence of imprisonment and the person’s status changes from a remand prisoner to a prisoner," it added.

In addition, remand prisoners cannot be placed in an outside institution or given permission for supervised activities outside prison.

emkz:
Those who supported Ekpa's cause donated money to him. Did they ever ask Simon Ekpa to give account?

He claimed he wanted to liberate his people, but he imprisoned his own people by forcing them to sit at home every Monday. People have been killed and Ekpa has come out to take responsibility for the killings. You do not liberate your own people by instilling an atmosphere of fear and death in them.

Those who support his cause, remember that many of your own people cannot go to the villages again on account of the activities of those who claim to take orders from Ekpa. Do not allow these people to destroy your land because of a liberation.

Parents too need to talk to their children. Government too needs to provide an environment for the unemployed to work. Those who funded Ekpa's activities need to have a rethink and see if their actions have helped or further destroyed their region.

Hearing tales of the civil war from our Igbo brothers and sisters who witnessed it tells tales of trauma that a people faced. This can make one emotional, even though one was not there. Describing artillery shells and how they blew off people's houses is a pain that many carry until today. Seeing malnourished children suffering and seemingly waiting to die during the war is traumatizing. It is hard to erase such pictures from one's mind. We can blame the civil war for that. But for some misguided ones to inflict pain on their own people and bring death is a sad narrative that needs to end.

Dear Igbos worldwide who believe in Biafra, STOP contributing money to causes that would inflict pain on your own people. You might be paying for your own people to be killed. Ikemba Nnewi who went to war for Biafra said he was proud to have led the first war; but he pointedly said there was no need for another one because lessons ought to have been learnt from the first one, lest the deaths would have been in vain. Ikemba Nnewi ran for President of Nigeria in 2003 which is to say he believed in Nigeria before he answered the call that we all must answer.

Your own people cannot be human sacrifice to massage the ego of some deluded ones.

Yes, you can agitate for your own republic. But killing your own people or any other cannot be the way.


Don't!

MadPolitician:


D
Stop begging for unity.
Simon Ekpa is now in prison.
Nnamdi kanu is now in prison.
Yet, The much talked about Sit at Home is still holding.
So what does that tell you?

Every now and then, an inebriated mutant will wriggle out from his/her wet rat hole to advice igbos on the need to stick with a comatose Nigeria and stop following Simon Ekpa. It used to be Nnamdi kanu. It is as if you are talking to kids.

What you guys have failed to see is the fact that the whole agitation is more like a mass movement, with the people willfully gravitating towards the leadership of the most forceful and the most anti Nigerian character.

At a time, when kanu was arrested, his colleagues at the helm of IPOB basically tried to tone things down. That was the sudden end of their relevance. You agbadorians must come to understand that you are dealing with igbos and a population well over 50 million. That is 50 million intelligent men! They should know when enough has become enough!

People are genuinely tired of Nigeria. Trying to pass off their frustrations and rejections of a failed country as unreasonable positions taken by a brainwashed mass, only adds to the litany of taunts and insults that propel those rejections and frustrations. Such never helps to win anyone over to the Nigerian side.

You should learn!

emkz:
Those who supported Ekpa's cause donated money to him. Did they ever ask Simon Ekpa to give account?

He claimed he wanted to liberate his people, but he imprisoned his own people by forcing them to sit at home every Monday. People have been killed and Ekpa has come out to take responsibility for the killings. You do not liberate your own people by instilling an atmosphere of fear and death in them.

Those who support his cause, remember that many of your own people cannot go to the villages again on account of the activities of those who claim to take orders from Ekpa. Do not allow these people to destroy your land because of a liberation.

Parents too need to talk to their children. Government too needs to provide an environment for the unemployed to work. Those who funded Ekpa's activities need to have a rethink and see if their actions have helped or further destroyed their region.

Hearing tales of the civil war from our Igbo brothers and sisters who witnessed it tells tales of trauma that a people faced. This can make one emotional, even though one was not there. Describing artillery shells and how they blew off people's houses is a pain that many carry until today. Seeing malnourished children suffering and seemingly waiting to die during the war is traumatizing. It is hard to erase such pictures from one's mind. We can blame the civil war for that. But for some misguided ones to inflict pain on their own people and bring death is a sad narrative that needs to end.

Dear Igbos worldwide who believe in Biafra, STOP contributing money to causes that would inflict pain on your own people. You might be paying for your own people to be killed. Ikemba Nnewi who went to war for Biafra said he was proud to have led the first war; but he pointedly said there was no need for another one because lessons ought to have been learnt from the first one, lest the deaths would have been in vain. Ikemba Nnewi ran for President of Nigeria in 2003 which is to say he believed in Nigeria before he answered the call that we all must answer.

Your own people cannot be human sacrifice to massage the ego of some deluded ones.

Yes, you can agitate for your own republic. But killing your own people or any other cannot be the way.


Don't!

emkz:

You already objectified yourself in your name.

Now go back and read what I wrote, carefully. Remove the biases while reading.

If the text is too long, read the penultimate paragraph. And correct yourself.

emkz:
Those who supported Ekpa's cause donated money to him. Did they ever ask Simon Ekpa to give account?

He claimed he wanted to liberate his people, but he imprisoned his own people by forcing them to sit at home every Monday. People have been killed and Ekpa has come out to take responsibility for the killings. You do not liberate your own people by instilling an atmosphere of fear and death in them.

Those who support his cause, remember that many of your own people cannot go to the villages again on account of the activities of those who claim to take orders from Ekpa. Do not allow these people to destroy your land because of a liberation.

Parents too need to talk to their children. Government too needs to provide an environment for the unemployed to work. Those who funded Ekpa's activities need to have a rethink and see if their actions have helped or further destroyed their region.

Hearing tales of the civil war from our Igbo brothers and sisters who witnessed it tells tales of trauma that a people faced. This can make one emotional, even though one was not there. Describing artillery shells and how they blew off people's houses is a pain that many carry until today. Seeing malnourished children suffering and seemingly waiting to die during the war is traumatizing. It is hard to erase such pictures from one's mind. We can blame the civil war for that. But for some misguided ones to inflict pain on their own people and bring death is a sad narrative that needs to end.

Dear Igbos worldwide who believe in Biafra, STOP contributing money to causes that would inflict pain on your own people. You might be paying for your own people to be killed. Ikemba Nnewi who went to war for Biafra said he was proud to have led the first war; but he pointedly said there was no need for another one because lessons ought to have been learnt from the first one, lest the deaths would have been in vain. Ikemba Nnewi ran for President of Nigeria in 2003 which is to say he believed in Nigeria before he answered the call that we all must answer.

Your own people cannot be human sacrifice to massage the ego of some deluded ones.

Yes, you can agitate for your own republic. But killing your own people or any other cannot be the way.


Don't!