“Painful But Necessary”: IPOB Justifies Kanu’s Sweeping Expulsions
The Indigenous People of Biafra has defended detained leader Nnamdi Kanu’s indefinite expulsion of members of its dissolved Third Directorate of State, with the deputy head of the newly constituted Fourth DOS, Solomon Egbo, alleging that the affected officials worked to undermine Kanu’s authority and threatened the survival of the movement.
In a statement issued on Monday, Egbo described the dissolution and expulsions as “painful but necessary,” accusing the former officials of repeatedly violating the IPOB Constitution and Code of Conduct. He alleged that they abandoned Kanu during his detention, failed to support other detained pro-Biafra agitators, and ignored directives aimed at securing medical treatment for the leader in custody.
Egbo further alleged that the expelled officials frustrated fundraising efforts to address Kanu’s health challenges, attacked members of his legal team, and maintained ties with former IPOB counsel Ifeanyi Ejiofor despite directives distancing the movement from him. He claimed the former leadership failed to adequately defend the October 13, 2022 Court of Appeal judgment that had discharged Kanu, instead promoting narratives that blamed members of Kanu’s family for subsequent legal developments. He described those claims as false.
The statement also alleged that the officials spread accusations against Kanu’s brothers, removed officers he had appointed without authorisation, and altered the IPOB oath of office to promote loyalty to individuals rather than the movement. “The expulsions are indefinite and take immediate effect,” Egbo said, insisting that the affected persons no longer represent IPOB or the Biafran cause.
The defence followed the formal expulsion list. In a statement personally signed and made available to journalists on Sunday, June 21, 2026, Kanu expelled Chika Edoziem, Tony Nzurumike, Austin Agbanyim, Chukwudi Oforma, Isaiah Ubah, Collins Chinedu, Chinasa Nworu, Fidelis Ejiogu, Chidinma Nworu and Keke Uda. Kanu said he appointed the third administration from Kuje Prison in March 2017, that its original six-month term lapsed on September 16, 2017, and that the members continued in office at his discretion.
The internal rupture dates to mid-June. Kanu announced the dissolution of the Edoziem-led Third Administration on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, and appointed a Fourth Administration headed by Chris Nwaogu. Edoziem countered by declaring that IPOB had suspended Kanu and its spokesman, Emma Powerful, a move IPOB dismissed as illegal, null and void. The group later published its Code of Conduct, stating that the power to appoint, suspend or dismiss principal officers vests exclusively in Kanu unless expressly delegated.
Egbo’s reference to the 2022 discharge, however, no longer reflects Kanu’s legal standing. That appellate victory was reversed on further appeal, and the trial resumed in Abuja. On November 20, 2025, Judge James Omotosho convicted Kanu on seven terrorism-related charges and sentenced him to life imprisonment, after prosecutors had sought the death penalty. Special Counsel Aloy Ejimakor has since argued that the court erred by applying the repealed Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act 2013 rather than the 2022 legislation, and Kanu was given 90 days to appeal.
The stakes for the region remain heavy. SBM Intelligence reported that violent enforcement of IPOB’s weekly stay-at-home orders had caused at least 700 deaths and cost an estimated N7.6 trillion. Egbo urged supporters across Nigeria and the diaspora to rally behind the Fourth DOS, reaffirming that the movement’s primary objective remains Kanu’s unconditional release and the actualisation of Biafra.