Proscribed separatist group cites security concerns and intelligence reports as reasons for indefinite suspension
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced the indefinite suspension of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, along with his removal as director of Radio Biafra, in a significant restructuring move aimed at repositioning the organisation.
The decision was disclosed in a statement issued Thursday by Chikadibia Edoziem, head of the directorate of state (DOS), IPOB’s highest decision-making body.
The proscribed group emphasized that IPOB was established as a self-determination movement “formed and nurtured by Biafrans in the diaspora” rather than by any individual, and that no single person has the authority to dissolve its central leadership structure.
Intelligence Report Triggers Decision
According to Edoziem, the suspension was decided during a DOS meeting on June 17, following a review of an intelligence report from “IPOB’s M-Branch” concerning a meeting between Kanu and officers of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA) at Sokoto prison.
The DOS noted that Kanu’s movements and communications are currently monitored by the DSS, and that some prison communications have allegedly resulted in arrests and deaths of IPOB members.
The statement also raised concerns about plans to form a new militia “through which a new round of violence will be instigated and unleashed in Biafraland,” potentially weakening and eventually dissolving the IPOB movement by targeting its leadership structure.
Rationale Behind Suspension
Edoziem outlined several objectives for the suspension:
· Preventing individuals from committing crimes in Biafraland under the authority of the suspended office
· Avoiding unchecked actions, reckless assumption of authority, and unguarded utterances that could lead to arrests and deaths of Biafran youths
· Halting non-affiliated individuals and groups from claiming legitimacy to carry out actions conflicting with IPOB’s mission statement
The group stated that any criminal activity taken in the name of the suspended office shall not be attributed to IPOB but solely to those who instigated them.
“IPOB shall henceforward not be held accountable for actions of individuals or groups not holding any active position within IPOB or for actions of persons not authorized by the Directorate of State to act on behalf of the movement,” the statement read.
Background on Nnamdi Kanu
In November 2025, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on terrorism charges. The IPOB founder received life sentences for counts one, four, five, and six of a seven-count charge, along with 20 years and five years on counts three and seven respectively.
During court proceedings, a DSS officer testified that Kanu admitted during interrogation to inciting Nigerians to attack police officers. Another DSS officer linked the violence during the #EndSARS protests to “inciting comments from Kanu.”
