The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced the removal of its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, from his leadership position. The group also stripped him of his role as Director of Radio Biafra.
The decision followed a full meeting of the group’s Directorate of State (DOS), where members reviewed intelligence reports linked to communications allegedly attributed to Kanu from his detention facility in Sokoto.
The move signals a deepening leadership crisis within the separatist organisation.
IPOB Suspends Leadership Authority in Internal Reorganisation
According to a statement signed by the Head of the Directorate of State, Mazi Chikadibia Edoziem, IPOB suspends Nnamdi Kanu from exercising leadership authority to safeguard the organisation from what it described as unauthorised actions and internal confusion.
Meanwhile, the Directorate of State will continue to oversee the affairs of IPOB until further notice.
The group stressed that IPOB was founded collectively by Biafrans in the diaspora and not by any single individual. It also maintained that no person has the authority to dissolve the Directorate of State, which it described as the highest decision-making structure of the movement.
IPOB Raises Concerns Over Communications and Security Risks
In addition, the organisation claimed that recent communications attributed to Kanu caused confusion within its ranks and exposed members to security risks.
The group alleged that certain actions linked to the suspended office contributed to arrests, torture, and the deaths of some members.
It also raised concerns over alleged plans to establish a new militia, warning that such developments could escalate violence in the South-East region.
As a result, IPOB stated that any actions taken under the suspended office would no longer be recognised as official directives of the organisation.
Leadership Dispute Deepens Within IPOB
However, the announcement follows reports that Kanu had earlier dissolved the Edoziem-led Directorate of State and appointed a new leadership headed by US-based Mazi Chris Nwaọgụ.
The Directorate rejected the move, insisting it remains the legitimate leadership structure established in 2012 and has continued to function since Kanu’s detention in 2017.
See also: IPOB suspends Nnamdi Kanu as leader
The latest development highlights widening divisions within IPOB over control, legitimacy, and the future direction of the movement.
