The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced the indefinite suspension of the Office of the Leader of the movement and the position of Director of Radio Biafra.
The decision was announced in a statement issued on Thursday by the Head of IPOB’s Directorate of State (DOS), Chikadibia Edoziem, who said the measure was taken to safeguard the organisation’s operations, protect members worldwide and prevent potential security breaches in the region.
According to Edoziem, the suspension takes immediate effect and was approved during a meeting of the Directorate of State held on June 17, 2026, in order to strengthen the movement and ensure its activities remain aligned with its objectives.
The Directorate stated that the action was also intended to prevent individuals or groups from carrying out unauthorised activities or criminal acts under the authority of the now-suspended leadership office. It added that IPOB would not be held responsible for actions undertaken by persons not authorised by the organisation.
READ ALSO: IPOB Cancels Monday Sit-At-Home Across South-East
The group further warned against what it described as reckless assumptions of authority and unguarded statements that could endanger members, saying such actions had allegedly contributed to arrests, torture and deaths of some supporters.
IPOB also reaffirmed the authority of its Directorate of State, describing it as the apex leadership structure of the movement. It maintained that no individual, regardless of status or position, has the power to dissolve the body and declared any purported dissolution of the Directorate null and void.
Explaining the reasons behind the decision, the Directorate cited intelligence reports concerning an alleged meeting involving Nigerian security officials and Kanu in detention. It also expressed concerns over communications it claimed had exposed members to security risks and alleged plans by certain individuals to establish a new militia in the region.
The organisation’s claims could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate response from Nigerian security agencies regarding the allegations contained in the statement.
Despite the suspension, IPOB reiterated its commitment to a peaceful and non-violent pursuit of self-determination, stressing that its struggle should not become a source of harm or hardship to the people it seeks to represent.
