The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra has announced the suspension of its leadership office held by Nnamdi Kanu, in a major internal restructuring of its command system.
The decision followed a full meeting of the group’s Directorate held on Wednesday, where officials reviewed internal communications and intelligence reports linked to Kanu, who is currently detained in Sokoto prison.
In a statement released on Thursday and signed by Chikadibia Edoziem, head of the Directorate of State, the organisation said the action was taken after assessing recent developments within its structure.
The statement read in part: “The Directorate of State, after careful review of intelligence reports and communications, has resolved to suspend the Office of the Leader and the Office of the Director of Radio Biafra.”
It added that governance of the movement would now be handled by a central structure. “A Directorate of State shall henceforth administer the affairs of IPOB and oversee all its activities,” the statement said.
The group also stressed that its structure was not built around a single individual. “IPOB was formed and nurtured by a group of Biafrans in the diaspora and not by any singular individual,” it stated, adding that no person has the authority to dissolve its governing body.
According to the organisation, the decision was influenced by concerns over internal communications allegedly linked to detention, which it said had contributed to arrests and violence affecting its members in parts of southeastern Nigeria.
It also warned about what it described as attempts by some individuals to establish a separate armed formation, saying such moves could escalate insecurity in the region.
The statement further read: *“This suspension is intended to prevent unchecked actions, reckless assumption of authority, and unguarded utterances that have led to arrests, torture, and needless deaths.”*
IPOB also stated that it would no longer be held responsible for actions carried out by individuals or groups operating outside its recognised structure. *“IPOB shall henceforth not be held accountable for actions of individuals or groups not holding any active position within the organisation,”* it said.
The announcement comes amid reports that Kanu had earlier dissolved the third administration of the Directorate of State and installed a new leadership structure, appointing US-based Chris Nwaogu to head the fourth administration under his authority.
The Directorate of State, created in 2012, has served as IPOB’s administrative arm, with leadership roles previously rotating across different members based in Europe and the United States.
