IN SHORT: Several Facebook pages have shared a video allegedly showing Finland’s president promising to support Biafra, a secessionist state that declared its independence from Nigeria in 1967. But the president's message was directed at Ukraine.
Finland’s president, Alexander Stubb, has pledged support for Biafra, according to a video that has been circulating on Facebook since November 2024.
Biafra is a region in south-eastern Nigeria. Its secession in 1967 sparked a 30-month civil war. When the war ended, the region was reintegrated into Nigeria. Years later, the call for Biafra's restoration is still ongoing.
The video shows Stubb giving what appears to be a live broadcast. It also shows photos of Simon Ekpa, a Finnish citizen of Nigerian origin, who describes himself as the prime minister of the self-proclaimed Biafra Republic Government in Exile.
In the video, Stubb can be heard saying: “Finland’s winter war lasted 105 days, your war has lasted 10 times longer. We understand what you are 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 are fighting for your independence, but we also support you because you are fighting for Europe’s security.”
Social media has amplified the Biafra movement, aiding the spread of propaganda and disinformation.
Ekpa was arrested in Finland on 21 November 2024 for spreading terrorist propaganda on social media. The Nigerian government allegedly influenced the arrest for fueling violence and instability in the country’s southeastern region through his online activities.
The same video was found here, here and here.
But is it legit? We checked.
Stubb sends a message about Ukraine
Africa Check broke the video down into frames and ran them through Google reverse image search. This led us to the original video on Stubb's official account on X (formerly Twitter).
In the original video, published on 18 November, Stubb was pledging support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
The Russia-Ukraine war in eastern Europe has been waging since February 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its western neighbour.
The original video was posted in November 2024 and captioned: “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.”
Finland has offered vital assistance to Ukraine during the war.
The Facebook video has been edited to exclude the part where Stubb mentioned the Ukraine-Russia war.
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