… Endorses dissolution of IPOB 3rd Directorate

The United States–based American Military Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID) has reaffirmed its support for the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who is serving a life sentence in Sokoto prison.

In a statement issued in the United States and dated June 6, 2026, the group—comprising Igbo military veterans who have served or are currently serving in the United States Armed Forces—declared its position on recent developments within the IPOB leadership structure.

The statement, jointly signed by AVID President, Chief Dr. Sylvester Onyia, and Secretary, Dr. Godson Obiagwu, also endorsed Kanu’s decision of June 17, 2026, dissolving the IPOB 3rd Directorate of State (DOS) and inaugurating a new 4th Directorate.

AVID maintained that, as IPOB’s leader and Director of Radio Biafra, Kanu retains full authority to restructure the organisation’s administrative framework in line with what it described as the broader interests of the Biafran people.

“Our position is clear and unwavering. His decision to reorganise the DOS is recognised as a legitimate exercise of that authority,” the statement said.

The group further stated that it recognises only Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as IPOB’s supreme leader and Director of Radio Biafra, adding that it will engage exclusively with officials duly appointed by him and their authorised representatives.

As military veterans, AVID said its members are committed to discipline, order, and respect for authority, warning against any actions that could destabilise communities in the South-East.

It cautioned that any attempts by members of the dissolved 3rd Directorate to resort to coercion, intimidation, violence, or disruption in Igboland would be regarded as a threat to peace and security in the region.

The group expressed confidence that the newly constituted 4th Directorate would provide a more disciplined, accountable, and structured leadership framework aligned with international standards of peaceful self-determination.
AVID also called on members of the public and the international community to support Kanu and the new leadership structure in the discharge of their responsibilities.

It congratulated Kanu, the new DOS leadership, and the global IPOB community, reiterating its commitment to peaceful engagement, human rights advocacy, and the pursuit of self-determination for the Biafran people.