Ekpa Won’t Eat Garri Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Like Us in Nigeria Prisons — Shehu Sani

Former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani has reacted to the six-year prison sentence handed to Simon Ekpa by a Finnish court, remarking that the Finland-based separatist will likely enjoy better prison conditions than inmates in Nigeria. Sani, who served four years of a 15-year sentence for treason during the Abacha regime, reflected on his own time in detention and the dire state of Nigerian prisons while commenting on the case via his verified X account.

“When I heard Simon Ekpa bagged six years in prison in Finland, I remembered when I was released from Aba Prison in 1998 after serving four of my 15 years sentence for treason. I believe Ekpa will not eat garri breakfast, lunch and dinner like us, even though the loss of freedom is an unquantifiable mental torture,” Sani wrote.

His comments drew renewed attention to Nigeria’s troubled correctional system, where inmates are often malnourished due to poor funding and corruption. Until earlier this year, each inmate was fed on N750 per day, an amount later raised to N1,125, which still results in meals described as nutritionally deficient and monotonous. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International and the National Human Rights Commission, have consistently condemned the situation, warning that poor feeding and overcrowding amount to inhumane and degrading treatment.

Ekpa, a dual Nigerian-Finnish citizen and self-styled leader of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile, was convicted by the Päijät-Häme District Court in Finland for inciting terrorism in Nigeria between 2021 and 2024. He was found guilty of promoting Biafra’s independence through illegal means, aggravated tax fraud, and violations of the Lawyers Act. Finnish prosecutors alleged that his online activities, coordinated from Finland, contributed to violent unrest in southeastern Nigeria.

The case, which Finnish authorities pursued in cooperation with Nigeria, has drawn wide attention due to Ekpa’s prominence in pro-Biafra campaigns. He was first arrested in November 2024 and has remained in custody since then, denying all charges. While Finnish prosecutors also investigated possible financial networks supporting his activities, charges against four suspects were dropped for lack of evidence.