The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced the indefinite suspension of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, citing concerns over what it described as “unguarded utterances” and actions capable of endangering members of the organisation.
The group also confirmed that Kanu has been removed from his position as Director of Radio Biafra as part of a broader restructuring effort aimed at repositioning the organisation and strengthening its internal operations.
The decision was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by Chikadibia Edoziem, head of the Directorate of State (DOS), the group’s highest decision-making body.
According to the statement, IPOB maintained that it is a self-determination movement established and sustained by Biafrans in the diaspora and not the creation of any single individual.
The organisation stressed that no individual possesses the authority to dissolve its central leadership structure.
Edoziem said the decision was reached during a DOS meeting held on June 17 following a review of an intelligence report submitted by IPOB’s M-Branch concerning an alleged meeting involving Kanu and officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA) at Sokoto prison.
The group stated that Kanu’s communications and movements while in custody are under close surveillance by security agencies and alleged that some prison communications have previously resulted in the arrest and deaths of IPOB members.
IPOB further claimed there were plans to create a new militia that could trigger another cycle of violence across the South-East and weaken the organisation by dismantling its leadership structure.
According to the group, the suspension is intended to prevent individuals from committing crimes in the region under the perceived authority of Kanu’s office.
It added that the move would also curb “unchecked actions, reckless assumption of authority and unguarded utterances” that could expose Biafran youths to arrests, torture and unnecessary deaths.
The organisation also said the suspension would prevent unaffiliated individuals or groups from exploiting Kanu’s position to justify activities that contradict IPOB’s objectives.
“Any such crime or criminal activity taken in the name of the suspended office of the leader shall not be attributed to IPOB but solely to the person or persons who may have instigated them,” the statement said.
It further stated that IPOB would no longer accept responsibility for actions carried out by individuals who do not hold active positions within the organisation or those who have not been authorised by the Directorate of State.
Kanu’s Legal Battle
In November 2025, James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on terrorism-related charges.
The IPOB founder received life sentences on counts one, four, five and six of a seven-count charge, alongside separate prison terms of 20 years and five years on counts three and seven respectively.
During the trial, a DSS officer testified that Kanu admitted during interrogation to making statements that incited attacks against police officers.
Another DSS official also linked some of the violence that followed the #EndSARS protests to comments allegedly made by Kanu.
Kanu has since appealed the conviction.
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