It has been reported that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced the indefinite suspension of the Office of the National Leader and the position of Director of Radio Biafra, both previously held by detained separatist leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
The decision was reached during a meeting of the movement’s leadership on June 17, amid growing concerns over alleged attempts by individuals and groups to exploit the suspended office to carry out activities contrary to the organization’s objectives.
IPOB also effectively dismantled its information arm, Radio Biafra, by suspending the office of its director, a position previously occupied by Kanu.
In a statement issued by the Head of the Directorate of State (DOS), Chikadibia Edoziem, the group said the suspension takes immediate effect and will remain in force until further notice.
According to the statement, the move is aimed at safeguarding the movement’s operations, protecting IPOB members worldwide, particularly those in the South-East, and preventing security breaches that could threaten the region.
The DOS warned that anyone claiming to be the National Leader of IPOB or acting on behalf of the suspended office would do so at their own risk, stressing that such actions would not be recognized by the organization.
“Any crime or criminal activity undertaken in the name of the suspended Office of the Leader shall not be attributed to IPOB but solely to the individual or individuals responsible for such actions,” the statement said.
The group further stated that IPOB would no longer accept responsibility for the actions of individuals or groups who do not hold active positions within the movement or who have not been authorized by the Directorate of State.
The leadership explained that the decision forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen and reposition the Biafran self-determination movement, making it more responsive to its stated objectives.
IPOB emphasized that the movement was founded and nurtured collectively by Biafrans in the diaspora and was not established by any single individual. It added that no person, regardless of status or position, has the authority to dissolve the Directorate of State, which it described as the apex governing institution of the organization.
The DOS cited several reasons for the suspension, including intelligence reports alleging meetings between operatives of Nigeria’s security agencies and Kanu in detention, concerns over monitored communications, and claims that some communications from prison had allegedly contributed to arrests and deaths of IPOB members.
The group also expressed concern over what it described as plans by certain individuals to establish a new militia capable of triggering another wave of violence in the South-East, as well as alleged efforts to dissolve the Directorate of State and weaken the IPOB structure.
Reaffirming its commitment to non-violence, the Directorate of State stated that the struggle for self-determination must remain peaceful and should never become a basis for causing suffering, hardship or death among the people it seeks to represent.
“We affirm that the pursuit of our inalienable right to self-determination is peaceful and non-violent and must never become a basis for causing harm, hardship, or death to the very people we seek to liberate from the injustices and atrocities perpetrated by the Nigerian system,” the statement added.
The development comes amid reports of internal disagreements within the IPOB hierarchy and speculation about attempts to establish a parallel separatist structure under the umbrella of the movement.
