IPOB Suspends Nnamdi Kanu's Office, Cites Security Concerns

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has indefinitely suspended the Office of the Leader and the position of Director of Radio Biafra, both previously held by detained separatist leader, Nnamdi Kanu, citing security risks to its members and the broader self-determination movement.

The announcement was made on Thursday, June 18, 2026, in a statement signed by Mazi Chikadibia Edoziem, Head of the Directorate of State (DOS), who said the decision followed a full meeting of the Directorate held a day earlier on June 17.

Edoziem said the suspension was taken in the interest of the organisation's security, stability, and long-term objectives, particularly to protect IPOB members in the South-East region of Nigeria.

The group stated that the move was also designed to prevent unauthorised individuals and organisations from claiming legitimacy under the now-suspended leadership office to carry out activities inconsistent with IPOB's mission.

It added that any criminal act committed in the name of the suspended office would be the sole responsibility of the individuals involved and would not be attributed to IPOB.

The Directorate cited intelligence reports as a key factor in its decision, including concerns over an alleged meeting between Nigerian security operatives and Kanu inside Sokoto Prison, where he is currently detained.

It further alleged that certain communications linked to Kanu from within the prison had resulted in the arrests and deaths of IPOB members.

Of particular concern to the DOS was what it described as an ongoing plan by unidentified individuals to establish a new armed militia that could trigger fresh violence in the South-East.

The Directorate also warned against what it characterised as a coordinated effort to dissolve IPOB from within, declaring any such purported dissolution of the Directorate "ab initio null and void."

IPOB reaffirmed its commitment to non-violent advocacy, insisting that the pursuit of self-determination must never be used as justification for harm to the people it seeks to represent.

The DOS said the suspension of the Office of the Leader would remain in place pending a further review.