Nnamdi Kanu, the convicted leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and his former disciple, Chikadibia Edoziem, have announced conflicting leadership changes in IPOB.
Mr Kanu, who is currently in Sokoto prison, reportedly dissolved the third Directorate of the State (DOS) of the IPOB and inaugurated the fourth DOS administration headed by Chris Nwaọgụ.
The third DOS administration was headed by Mr Edoziem, who was appointed into the position by Mr Kanu in 2017 during the IPOB leader’s initial detention at Kuje prison.
Established in 2012 by Mr Kanu, the DOS is the administrative arm of the IPOB that ensures the day-to-day operation of the separatist group.
A statement “issued on the authority” of Mr Kanu announcing the change of the DOS was forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday by the spokesperson of IPOB, Emma Powerful.
Kanunta Kanu, the younger brother to the IPOB leader, also posted the statement on his X handle on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the new DOS, Mr Nwaọgụ, shall assume immediate responsibility for the administration, coordination, and day-to-day management of IPOB affairs, working with his team under the authority and direction of Mr Kanu.
Mr Nwaọgụ has since accepted the appointment via his acceptance speech also circulated by Kanunta and Mr Powerful.
Why the dissolution
The statement said the dissolution of the third DOS of IPOB followed “a careful assessment of the performance, priorities, and stewardship of the movement” during one of the “most critical periods” in the history of the organisation.
It said the primary role of the DOS is to protect IPOB movement, safeguard its integrity, defend its members, care for those who suffer persecution because of their commitment to the cause, and advance the strategic objectives laid down by Mr Kanu.
“Regrettably, the third (DOS) administration fell short of these sacred obligations in several fundamental respects,” it said.
The statement listed specific alleged failures of Mr Edoziem-led third DOS to include abandonment of detained IPOB members, misplaced priorities, internal distractions, failure to protect IPOB’s integrity and safeguard strategic communication platforms of the group.
“The 4th (DOS) Administration is therefore mandated to rebuild confidence, restore unity, and re-establish the culture of accountability, discipline, and collective responsibility that must define IPOB,” it said.
The statement said the inauguration of the new DOS reflected a determination to correct “past shortcomings,” and to restore confidence within IPOB.
“The dissolution of the 3rd Administration is ultimately not an act of vengeance but an act of organisational renewal.
“The challenges confronting the Biafra restoration project require new energy, renewed discipline, strategic focus, and a leadership structure fully aligned with the vision, directives, and priorities of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” it added.
Suspension of Nnamdi Kanu?
In a counter statement on Thursday, Mr Edoziem rejected the dissolution of the DOS under his leadership, saying no individual has power to do so.
“No individual of whatever rank or position has the authority or power to dissolve the DOS of the Indigenous People of Biafra which is the apex institution overseeing the affairs of the movement.
“Any such claim therefore of purported dissolution of the apex leadership structure of the IPOB global family is ab initio null and void, of no effect whatsoever and should be ignored by IPOB global family, Biafrans, and the general public and consigned into the waste bin for what it is – an effort in futility,” he said.
The factional DOS wrongly claimed that IPOB is a self determination movement of the Biafran people, and was “formed and nurtured by a group of Biafrans in the diaspora, not by any singular individual, for the freedom of the Biafran people.”
Records show that IPOB was founded by Mr Kanu in 2012, not by any known group of people.
Mr Edoziem, in the Thursday statement, announced that Mr Kanu’s position and office as IPOB leader has been suspended “indefinitely” with “immediate effect.”
He also announced the suspension of Mr Kanu as the director of Radio Biafra, a pirate radio station which broadcasts secessionist ideologies.
The IPOB official claimed that the decision was taken during a meeting of DOS members on Wednesday as part of the ongoing actions to reposition and strengthen the operations of the IPOB’s Biafran Self Determination movement.
Mr Edoziem claimed the decision was in response to receipt of a tip-off that Mr Kanu and personnel of the State Security Service and those of Nigeria Intelligence Agency met at the Sokoto prison.
He suggested that Mr Kanu, at the meeting, reached an agreement with the agencies to compromise the IPOB’s movement, dissolve the DOS and set up a militia body dedicated to causing “a new round of violence” in Nigeria’s South-east.
According to him, the position and office of “IPOB leader” was suspended to prevent individuals and groups from committing crimes under the authority and name of Mr Kanu as the leader.
“Any such crime or criminal activity taken in the name of the suspended office of the leader shall not be attributed to IPOB but solely to the person or persons who may have instigated them.
“IPOB shall hence forward not be held accountable for actions of individuals or groups of Individuals not holding any active position within IPOB or for actions of persons not authorised by the DOS to act on behalf of the IPOB’s Self-Determination movement,” he said.
‘Nobody is happy to be sacked’
When contacted on Friday morning to comment on the conflicting leadership changes, the IPOB’s spokesperson, Mr Powerful, dismissed Mr Edoziem’s claim of suspending Mr Kanu as the IPOB leader.
The spokesperson suggested that Mr Edoziem was only angry that the DOS he led was dissolved by Mr Kanu.
“Nnamdi Kanu has been the leader of this movement from the onset. The Edoziem-led group has been sacked,” he said.
Background
IPOB is a group seeking to carve out a sovereign state of Biafra from the South-east and some parts of the South-south of Nigeria.
Its leader, Mr Kanu, was sentenced to life imprisonment in November last year after being found guilty of terrorism charges filed against him.
The convict is currently serving his jail term in Sokoto prison although he has filed an appeal against his conviction and sentencing.
Meanwhile, PREMIUM TIMES reports that since the convicted IPOB leader was first arrested in 2015 and rearrested in 2021 after initially fleeing Nigeria, the separatist group has continued to suffer an intense leadership crisis.
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Before now, a controversial Biafra agitator and factional IPOB leader, Simon Ekpa, has repeatedly disobeyed Mr Kanu’s directives.
For instance, Mr Kanu, in July 2023, through his then lawyer Aloy Ejimakor, directed Mr Ekpa to halt an illegal sit-at-home directive which he had been enforcing in the South-east against its initial cancellation by the IPOB leader.
But Mr Ekpa, who leads an IPOB faction called Auto pilot, rejected the directive, insisting the illegal sit-at-home directive would continue unless Mr Kanu personally addressed him in Finland, where he was based.
Meanwhile, like Mr Kanu, Mr Ekpa was sentenced to six years imprisonment in Finland in 2025, for terrorism related offences.