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IPOB: Nnamdi Kanu Allegedly Bars Brother from Issuing Statements
The leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has reportedly ordered his brother, Prince Emmanuel, to stop making public statements on behalf of himself or the family.
Emmanuel, in January, urged the public to disregard a voice note that had gone viral, alleging that the IPOB Leader was poisoned in detention.
He claimed that he met with the IPOB Leader at the Abuja headquarters of the Department of State Services, DSS, where he is currently detained.
Reliable sources told POLITICS NIGERIA that the statement issued by Prince Emmanuel has degenerated into controversies among top members of the group.
Many believed Emmanuel’s statement downplayed the health challenges of the leader and the concerns for his safety.
They noted that the leader of the group was miffed by the statement released by his brother and has ordered that he should stop making public statements.
POLITICS NIGERIA also obtained a series of correspondences between the IPOB leader and members of the group.
A member of the group who pleaded anonymity confirmed this saying: “It is true that Emmanuel has been ordered to stop making statements. This came from Mazi himself. We are working on settling the issue,”.
As of the time of filing this report, the outlawed group’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, and spokesperson, Emma Powerful, could not be reached for comments.
Inside IPOB’s multiple crises
This comes at a time the IPOB is facing crises in different countries including Germany and South Africa, which has led to the expulsion and suspension of members.
Another Kanu’s sibling, Kingsley Ezebuiro, who is also known as ‘Kanunta’, was suspended from the IPOB branch in Germany late January.
Kingsley’s suspension was announced in a statement signed by the National Coordinator of the group in Germany, Collins Chinedu.
“The lPOB leadership in Germany unanimously suspends him (Kingsley) indefinitely from the family of IPOB in Germany led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu with effect from today, the 21st of January 2023,” the statement read.
Kingsley was also accused of engaging in activities that bring disrepute to the IPOB globally.
The group said Kingsley is just an ordinary member of IPOB in Landsberg am Lech, Germany, but has been using his affiliation to the detained IPOB leader, Mr Kanu to gain “unmerited super advantage” and has been placing himself above every IPOB rule.
But Kingsley, in a series of tweets, has debunked news of his suspension, stating that it was masterminded by Chinedu, who he claimed has been expelled.
“I am born for a day like this, Kanunta Kanu is very much around”bThis is to inform the general public that Mr Collins Chinedu, was officially expelled from #IpobfamilyGermany by #MaziNnamdiKanu on 28:11:2022 through @AloyEjimakor . And his successor is Mazi OGBONNA ABRAHAM,” he wrote on Twitter.
In another codified tweet, the IPOB leader’s brother challenged Chinedu for not wanting to relinquish his position.
“After all, I am not being paid for serving IPOB – yes you are right. But why do you put up a fight when you’re asked to leave your position?” Kingsley asked.
Like Germany, Like South Africa
Also in January, the South African branch of the group suspended some members for anti-IPOB activities.
This, POLITICS NIGERIA gathered, led to the creation of a parallel organisation within the South African branch.
The suspended members have registered another IPOB branch in Western Cape under which they operate.
But the South African national coordinator, Ogechukwu Isu, has countered the creation of the parallel group.
He reiterated that all communication and requests for marches or any public gathering will only be made through the official Head Office in South Africa based in Johannesburg, Braamfontein.
“It has come to our attention that certain members in various provinces who have been suspended for not abiding by the constitution and code of conduct of the organisation (POB), are going around masquerading and presenting themselves and holding, marches, protests or events in the name of IPOB This is most regrettable and unfortunate because unsuspecting people have been caught unawares and misled by these acts of the imposters concerned.
There is only one IPOB registered with the CIPC with the registration numbers 2019/593089/08 or further with registration number 2022/618519/08, which is the NPC registration and Welfare registration but to all intents and purposes referring to the same organisation,” he stated.
A Family Business?
Furthermore, It was gathered that Kanu, who is very unhappy with the crisis in the group, also instructed his brother, Emmanuel to confirm the status of some foreign bank accounts owned by the group from Kingsley adding that they should also give feedback on the amount of funds held in them.
This newspaper gathered that the crisis in Germany which led to Kingsley’s suspension was also partly caused by the discovery of over 700,000 Euros stockpiled in one of the organisation’s account managed by him.
Source: Politics Nigeria
Three Nigerian secondary schools are in the ring for the grand prize of N5m in the ongoing Glo Innov8 National STEM competition for girls in Senior Secondary Schools across the country.
The three top finalists were selected for their originality and innovation in the different entries for the competition. A total of 20 secondary schools were picked from over 200 schools which registered for the competition. After a series of considerations, 10 of them made it to the semifinal from which three; Ephraim High School, Isolo Campus, Lagos; Regina Pacis International School, Onitsha, Anambra State; and Peakfield Academy, Jos, Plateau State eventually coasted home to the finals.
Schools from Plateau, Kano, Lagos, Rivers, Edo, Borno, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Ondo, Oyo, Anambra, FCT, Delta, Kaduna and Adamawa states had signified intentions to participate following a call for entries by Glo Foundation, Globacom’s corporate social responsibility arm as part of its celebration of the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child.
Glo Innov8, a STEM-driven challenge, has scheduled prizes worth N5 million to the three schools in the finals. The competition “is geared at inspiring young girls to Compete, Innovate and Win, while also strengthening their confidence and expanding their knowledge in STEM subjects”, Glo Foundation explained.
The eventual overall winning school will go home with a cash prize of N2,000,000 while the 2 students representing the school will each get a laptop. The Teacher/Mentor/STEM Coordinator also gets N200,000.
The schools that come second and third places and their Teachers/Mentors/STEM Coordinators will also receive mouth-watering consolation prizes.
The three female judges of the virtual phase of selection of the top 20 schools said they were excited by the quality of presentations by the competing schools. One of them, Tosin Olabode said: “I was particularly impressed by the prototype presentations from some schools. They demonstrated that they had done their homework”.
In the same vein, Amina Gabriel disclosed that she was thrilled by the variety of ideas that the schools came up with. “The schools presented innovative solutions tackling issues in agriculture, security, waste management, and firefighting. The top 10 schools showcased outstanding prototypes, from apps to robots, making the judging process truly competitive. I’m grateful to Glo Foundation for the opportunity to serve and support young girls in STEM”, she said.
According to Sharon Ibejih, the third judge, “This competition has showcased a highly competitive next generation of women leaders in STEM. This was an excellent exercise and a means to encourage more students in STEM to develop problem-solving and innovative thinking skills”.
The overall winning school will emerge at an event set to hold later this year at the Mike Adenuga Centre (Alliance Française), Ikoyi, Lagos.
The leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), Nnamdi Kanu, has filed a motion to stop the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in his trial for alleged terrorism.
Justice James Omotosho, on November 7, fixed November 20 for judgment on the case.
The judge fixed the date after Kanu’s defence was foreclosed following his insistence that he would not enter his defence under a repealed law.
However, in the motion on notice marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, he personally filed, the IPoB leader sought seven reliefs.
In the application dated November 10 and filed same date, Kanu sought an order arresting the delivery of judgment in charge no: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015.
The document was made public on Tuesday.
In it, he alleged that the proceedings were conducted under a repealed and non-existent statute and in disobedience to the Supreme Court’s directive contrary to Section 287(1) CFRN 1999.”
He sought a declaration that by virtue of Section 287(1) CFRN, the trial court was constitutionally bound to give effect to the Supreme Court’s finding that count 15 (now count 7) “does not exist in law,” and its failure rendered all subsequent proceedings null and void.
He also sought a declaration that the court’s failure to take judicial notice of the repeal of the 2013 Terrorism Act, contrary to Section 122 Evidence Act 2011, vitiates all steps taken thereunder.
The IPOB leader equally sought a declaration that by virtue of Section 76(1)(d)(iii) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to try him in the absence of proof that the alleged conduct constituted an offence under Kenyan law or of any Kenyan judicial validation or extradition order.
Besides, Kanu sought “a declaration that the plea purportedly taken on March 29, under a repealed and non-existent statute and in violation of Section 220 ACJA 2015 is void and incapable of conferring jurisdiction.
President Bola Tinubu has dispatched a strong delegation to London to address the situation of Ike Ekweremadu, a former Deputy Senate President, who has been imprisoned in the UK since March 2023.
The delegation includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi.
The team arrived in London on Monday and held discussions with officials from the UK’s Ministry of Justice.
Alkasim Abdulkadir, spokesperson for Tuggar, said on Tuesday that the presidential delegation was in London to engage with UK authorities to consider the possibility of Ekweremadu serving the remainder of his prison sentence in Nigeria.
The London Metropolitan Police detained the Ekweremadus in June 2022 after a man was deceitfully presented to a private renal unit at Royal Free Hospital in London as a relative of their daughter Sonia, in what turned out to be a failed attempt to convince medical professionals to perform an £80,000 transplant.
The 21-year-old man, who had allegedly been promised employment in the UK, reported the incident to the police in May of that year, saying that he had been brought to the country for an organ transplant.
In March 2023, the former presiding officer of Nigeria’s Senate was convicted of organ trafficking by a UK court. Beatrice, his wife, and Obinna Obeta, a doctor connected to the case, were also found guilty.
This verdict marked the first of its kind under the UK Modern Slavery Act.
On May 5, 2023, Ekweremadu received a nine-year and eight-month prison sentence, while his wife was sentenced to four years and six months, and Obeta was given a ten-year prison sentence.
In his ruling, Judge Jeremy Johnson determined that Beatrice should serve half of her sentence in custody and be supervised for the remainder. However, she was released from prison in January and has since returned to Nigeria.
