Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced the indefinite suspension of the Office of its Leader and the position of Director of Radio Biafra, both previously held by the detained separatist leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The decision, which takes immediate effect, was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday, June 18, 2026, and signed by Mazi Chikadibia Edoziem, the Head of the Directorate of State (DOS) of IPOB.
According to the statement, the suspension follows a full-house meeting of the IPOB Directorate held on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, during which the leadership reviewed intelligence reports concerning communications from Nnamdi Kanu within Sokoto Prison. The group said it had become "mindful that certain unguarded communications from Sokoto prison to those in Biafraland has caused unnecessary arrests and death of IPOB family members in Biafraland." The leadership also expressed concern that Kanu’s visitors and activities are heavily monitored by the Department of State Services (DSS), and raised alarm over a separate plan by certain individuals to set up a new militia that could trigger fresh violence in the region.
The Directorate of State, which the group described as the apex leadership structure of the movement, will henceforth be responsible for administering the affairs of the organisation and overseeing the movement. IPOB also clarified that it was "formed and nurtured by a group of Biafrans in the Diaspora (not by any singular individual)" and emphasised that no single individual has the authority to dissolve the Directorate of State.
Explaining the rationale behind the suspension, the leadership stated that the move was intended to "prevent unchecked actions, reckless assumption of authority and unguarded utterances from resulting in the reckless arrests, torture and needless death of Biafran youths." The group further declared that any criminal activity carried out in the name of the suspended office will no longer be blamed on IPOB. "IPOB shall henceforth not be held accountable for the actions of individuals or groups of Individuals not holding any active position within IPOB," the statement read.
The development follows reports on Wednesday that Kanu had dissolved the 3rd Administration of the Directorate of State and appointed a 4th Administration, naming US-based Mazi Chris Nwaọgụ as the new Head of the DOS. In a separate statement from IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful, Nwaọgụ was reportedly tasked with assuming immediate responsibility for the administration, coordination, and day-to-day management of IPOB affairs under Kanu’s direct authority. However, the DOS has rejected that move, describing any purported dissolution of the Directorate as "ab initio null and void" and urging IPOB members, Biafrans, and the general public to disregard it.
The DOS cited several reasons for the suspension, including intelligence reports regarding alleged meetings involving security agencies and Nnamdi Kanu, concerns over communications that allegedly led to arrests and deaths of members, and fears of plans to establish a new militia capable of triggering fresh violence in the region. The statement noted that the suspension forms part of ongoing efforts to reposition and strengthen the operations of the Biafran self-determination movement, making it more responsive to its core objectives.
Observers say the decision could have significant implications for the group’s leadership framework and future operations, as the suspended positions have long been associated with Kanu, who remains a central figure in the movement. The Directorate of State was originally established by Kanu in 2012 as the administrative arm of IPOB and has been led by several individuals over the years, including Dr. Justin Akujieze in the United States, Mazi Uchenna Asiegbu in Spain, and Chika Edoziem in Switzerland, who was appointed in March 2017 during Kanu’s prior detention at Kuje Prison. The group maintains that its agitation for self-determination is strictly peaceful and non-violent, and that its struggle should not result in harm to the people it seeks to represent. The suspension is expected to remain in place pending further notice.
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