IPOB Suspends Nnamdi Kanu’s Office, Radio Biafra Director Position Amid Leadership Crisis

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced the suspension of the Office of its Leader, held by Nnamdi Kanu, as well as the position of the Director of Radio Biafra, citing concerns over communications allegedly originating from Kanu while in detention.

The decision was reached during a full meeting of the IPOB Directorate of State (DOS) on Wednesday, according to a statement signed by the Head of the Directorate of State, Mazi Chikadibia Edoziem.

The group said it reviewed intelligence reports concerning communications allegedly linked to Kanu, who is currently in detention, and resolved that the Directorate of State would henceforth assume full responsibility for the administration and affairs of the organisation.

According to the statement, IPOB maintained that the movement was founded and developed collectively by Biafrans in the diaspora and not by any single individual. It argued that no individual possesses the authority to dissolve the Directorate of State, which it described as the organisation’s highest decision-making body.

The leadership stated that the suspension followed concerns that certain communications allegedly emanating from detention had contributed to the arrest and deaths of some IPOB members in the South-East.

IPOB also expressed concerns that Kanu’s visitors and activities were allegedly under close surveillance by the Department of State Services (DSS), warning that any information obtained through such monitoring could be exploited against members of the organisation.

The group further alleged that some individuals were attempting to establish a new militia capable of triggering renewed violence in the South-East, insisting that the suspension was necessary to prevent what it described as unchecked actions, reckless assumptions of authority, and unguarded statements that could expose members to arrest, torture, or death.

It added that it would no longer accept responsibility for criminal activities carried out in the name of the suspended office or by individuals who do not occupy recognised positions within the movement.

The development comes amid an escalating leadership dispute within IPOB following reports that Kanu had dissolved the third administration of the Directorate of State and constituted a fourth administration.

According to reports, Kanu appointed United States-based Mazi Chris Nwaọgụ as the new head of the Directorate of State and directed him to immediately assume responsibility for the administration, coordination, and day-to-day management of the organisation.

The Directorate of State was established by Kanu in 2012 as IPOB’s administrative arm. Over the years, it has been led by Dr. Justin Akujieze, Mazi Uchenna Asiegbu, and Mazi Chikadibia Edoziem.

The latest development underscores the deepening leadership crisis within IPOB as rival factions continue to assert authority over the organisation’s affairs.