By Sabiu Abdullahi
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced the suspension of the Office of its Leader, Nnamdi Kanu, alongside the office of the Director of Radio Biafra.
The decision followed a meeting of the group’s Directorate held on Wednesday. IPOB said its leadership examined intelligence reports linked to communications allegedly sent by Kanu from Sokoto prison. The position of the group was contained in a statement released on Thursday by Mazi Chikadibia Edoziem, who heads the Directorate of State.
According to the statement, the Directorate of State will now supervise the affairs of the organisation and coordinate its activities.
The group stressed that IPOB was “formed and nurtured by a group of Biafrans in the Diaspora (not by any singular individual)” and insisted that no individual possesses the authority to disband the Directorate of State, which it described as the highest leadership body of the movement.
IPOB explained that the action became necessary after it observed that “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 claimed that visitors and activities connected to Kanu remain under close monitoring by the Department of State Services, DSS. It further raised concerns over alleged plans by some persons to establish another militia group that could spark renewed violence in the South-East.
The statement added that the suspension would “prevent unchecked actions, reckless assumption of authority and unguarded utterances from resulting in the reckless arrests, torture and needless death of Biafran youths.”
IPOB also distanced itself from future actions linked to the suspended offices. The group stated that “IPOB shall hence forward not be held accountable for actions of individuals or groups of Individuals not holding any active position within IPOB.”
The development came shortly after reports emerged that Kanu had dissolved the third administration of the Directorate of State and introduced a new leadership structure.
Reports said Kanu appointed United States-based Mazi Chris Nwaọgụ as the head of a newly formed fourth administration of the Directorate of State.
A statement credited to IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful said Nwaọgụ had been directed to immediately oversee the administration and coordination of the group’s activities under Kanu’s authority.
The Directorate of State was created by Kanu in 2012 as the administrative arm of IPOB. Previous heads of the body included Dr. Justin Akujieze in the United States, Mazi Uchenna Asiegbu in Spain, and Chika Edoziem in Switzerland, who assumed office in March 2017 during Kanu’s detention at Kuje Prison.