A fresh leadership dispute has emerged within the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) after the organisation’s Directorate of State (DOS) announced the suspension of the Office of its Leader, Nnamdi Kanu, along with the position of Director of Radio Biafra.
The decision was reached during a full meeting of the Directorate, where members reviewed intelligence reports relating to communications allegedly originating from Kanu while in detention at Sokoto prison.
In a statement signed by Mazi Chikadibia Edoziem, Head of the Directorate of State, the group said the DOS would now assume full responsibility for the administration and management of IPOB’s affairs.
The leadership maintained that IPOB was established collectively by Biafrans in the diaspora and not by any single individual. It further argued that no person has the authority to dissolve the Directorate of State, which it described as the organisation’s highest leadership structure.
According to the statement, the move was prompted by concerns that certain communications linked to Kanu had contributed to arrests and deaths of IPOB members in the South-East. The group also cited worries about alleged plans by some individuals to form a new militia capable of escalating violence in the region.
The Directorate said the suspension was intended to prevent what it described as reckless actions, unauthorized decisions, and statements that could expose supporters to arrests, torture, or loss of life.
It further declared that IPOB would no longer accept responsibility for activities carried out in the name of the suspended offices or by individuals not holding recognised positions within the organisation.
The development comes shortly after reports that Kanu had dissolved the Edoziem-led third administration of the Directorate of State and inaugurated a new leadership team headed by US-based Chris Nwaogu.
Under Kanu’s directive, Nwaogu was reportedly assigned responsibility for coordinating and managing the affairs of the movement. The latest announcement, however, highlights growing divisions within the organisation over leadership and control.
The Directorate of State was established in 2012 as the administrative arm of IPOB and has previously been led by Justin Akujieze, Uchenna Asiegbu, and Chika Edoziem.
