IPOB Sacks Nnamdi Kanu As Leader

Nnamdi Kanu’s reappearance in Isreal has caused a lot of reputational damage for him within “his people”.

One of the leaders of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Olisa Mbakwe has disclosed that Kanu has been sacked as their leader. The sack is as a result of the Sunday broadcast credited to Kanu, which he said was a clear indication that Kanu prefers his dog, Jack, to those murdered in the struggle for the realisation of Biafra.

Recall that during a broadcast aired on Sunday from his base in Israel, Kanu mourned his dog and “a few other people” in his compound, who lost their lives when troops of Operation Python Dance invaded his residence in September 2017.

“The Army of the zoo killed my dog Jack and a few other people in my compound. I am sorry for what my sureties are passing through, but I want to assure them that they will have a special place in Biafra. I shall not be honouring the court,” the IPOB leader had said in his broadcast.

However, the group said Kanu was an “insensitive and callous leader that has no value for his own followers but rather his dog, Jack whom he paid tributes to after his long disappearance from the struggle”.

They also referred to him as a “traitor not worthy of any leadership position anywhere in the world”.

The international media arm of the proscribed group had announced Kanu’s sack in 2017, noting that he was “dismissed and removed as Director of Radio Biafra following extensive and intensive consultations”. The group said the reasons for which Kanu was removed include “personalisation of the Biafran struggle and derailing from the core objectives of IPOB as a grassroots movement”.

Meanwhile, a statement by Olisa Mbakwe, Director of Strategy and Documentation of IPOB, obtained by SaharaReporters on Monday, read: “On Sunday, October 21, 2018, an individual, Mazi Nnamdi Nwanekaenyi Kanu, claiming to be the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Director General of Radio Biafra made a live broadcast that has left us perplexed, because it is unthinkable that someone will impersonate IPOB to the point of plotting to abuse the organization to hurt the interest of Biafra.

“The strength of the Republic of Biafra that we are struggling to actualize, is in its human resources as embodied in our versatile youths that dominate the fields of play across sectors of human endeavor; the country we have set our vision on creating is therefore not to be made up of tombstones but of people fulfilling their life missions as ordained by God.

“Nnamdi Kanu relinquished his position as the leader of IPOB struggle the day he deserted our members to die, when they had mobilized to stand for our belief in Biafra at his residence in Afaraukwu. Several of our members were injured and some died in that encounter and even after emerging from hiding more than one year later all Kanu could do was to desecrate their memory with his radio broadcast. Nnamdi Kanu vividly, specifically and particularly recalled his family dog, Jack, by name while he dismissed our members that died as mere statistics — he only recalled them as 28 IPOB members.

“Even if Kanu had not deserted, there is no way we would have continued under the leadership of a man that values his family dog more than Biafrans.

“We are not unmindful of how Kanu struck the deal that granted him bail in the first place while abandoning our members, Benjamin Madubugwu, David Nwawusi, Bright Chimezie Ishinwa and Chidiebere Onwudiwe to languish in jail. Instead of using his freedom to accelerate the freedom of these authentic freedom fighters, he rather went about Biafra land receiving obeisance from Biafrans like a monarch, when our dear land is completely republican. The travails of these our brothers are not over yet and might have been worsened by Kanu’s live broadcast, which has totally upset us.

“In line with the decisions earlier announced on Radio Biafra on November 17, 2017 that Mazi Ezenwachukwu Sampson Okwudili is the new director for the radio, we reaffirm that Mazi Nnamdi Nwanekaenyi Kanu remains sacked as the Director of Radio Biafra and has also been removed as the leader of IPOB since he has proven he is not a worthy leader that respects the sanctity of the lives of our members.

“Following interventions by our leaders, considerations were being made to reverse the earlier announcement but after studying the Kanu’s live broadcast from Israel we came to the painful conclusion that we cannot make progress with our vision of Biafra, when one man has completely personalized and commercialized the struggle. The decision to drop Nnamdi Kanu from playing leading roles in IPOB affairs is hereby upheld. We shall announce replacements after consultations with the various stakeholders.”