Following the arrest and remand of Simon Ekpa, a terrorism supporter under the guise of Biafran agitation, by Finnish authorities on Wednesday, a video featuring Alexander Stubb, the Finnish President, pledging “support for war” has been making rounds on X and other microblogging platforms.

Some versions of the video reviewed by FIJ were merged with Ekpa’s picture to suggest that Stubb had proclaimed support for the Biafran movement and Ekpa, the self-styled Prime Minister of Biafra Republic Government in-Exile (BRGIE).

For instance, Homeland Reports BRGIE shared the video on X with the caption: “Case closed Ahead! ahead!! The pledge from the Finnish President sounds so clear to all Ifeajuna of our time @EmekaGift100, @ElochukwuOhagi the real Blackmailers against our PM @simon_ekpa & Biafra freedom.” This post alone garnered over 26,000 views, 520 likes, and 54 comments.

UgoJustrealugo, another X user, shared the same video without a caption, creating the impression that Stubb had pledged his support for the Biafran cause. The post had over 145,000 views and 1,200 likes at press time.

In the part of the video paired with Ekpa’s image, Stubb said:

“Finland’s Winter War lasted 105 days. Your war has lasted 10 times longer. We understand what you’re going through. We will support you for as long as it takes. We support you because it is morally right. We support you because you’re fighting for your independence, but we also support you because you’re fighting for Europe’s security.”

Other pages like Biafra-newsUSB shared the same post.

CLAIM:
Alexander Stubb pledged support for Simon Ekpa and the BRGIE’s actions on behalf of Biafra.

VERIFICATION:
FIJ found that the video was altered. The original footage was posted on Stubb’s official X page to mark Ukraine’s 1,000th day of fighting against Russia on Tuesday.

In the unedited version, Stubb expressed solidarity with Ukraine, saying:

“Finland’s Winter War lasted 105 days. Your war has lasted 10 times longer. We understand what you’re going through. We will support you for as long as it takes. We support you because it is morally right. We support you because you’re fighting for your independence, but we also support you because you’re fighting for Europe’s security.”

He captioned the post:

“Ukraine has been fighting for its independence for 1,000 days. Finland’s support for Ukraine remains unwavering. We will continue to stand by Ukraine. Slava Ukraini.”

Notably, the segment where Stubb added, “The fighting in Ukraine is our fight. Slava Ukraini,” was deliberately cut out of the manipulated version.

This is not the first instance of misinformation linked to Ekpa or his affiliates. In August, FIJ documented how Ekpa falsely claimed Nigerian soldiers abducted and killed a woman in Delta State.

CONCLUSION:
The claim that Finnish President Alexander Stubb pledged support for Simon Ekpa and the Biafran cause is false. The video was edited to create a misleading narrative, repurposing a message originally directed at Ukraine’s struggle for independence.

VERDICT: The claim that Stubb declared support for BRGIE or Ekpa is false. The video is altered and does not reflect Stubb’s stance on Simon Ekpa.