Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Published On the Biafra Post 

May 7, 2026 

1. Who are IPOB members?

Answer:

A. IPOB members are part of a movement made up of Indigenous People and their well-wishers agitating for a free and sovereign State of Biafra, with loyalty to the apex leadership body known as the Directorate of State (DOS). They are collectively identified globally as Biafrans.

B. Their ancestral heritage is situated in the territory formerly known as Eastern Nigeria, which includes present-day parts of the Niger Delta, the old Midwest region, and portions of Kogi and Benue States in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. IPOB supporters and Biafra agitators consist of professional men and women from different fields of life across the world.

2. What is IPOB’s ideology toward achieving a sovereign nation of Biafra?

Answer:

IPOB intends to achieve the restoration of a sovereign State of Biafra through internationally recognized principles of self-determination. The movement states that it has chosen peaceful and non-violent means in pursuing its cause.

According to IPOB, the movement has remained peaceful and non-violent despite allegations of intimidation, illegal arrests, incarceration, extrajudicial killings, indefinite detention, and extraordinary rendition by the Nigerian state since its emergence in 2012.

3. What does IPOB want from the Nigerian State and the rest of the world?

Answer:

IPOB states that its demands are simple:

1.

IPOB acknowledges that there are people of Biafran origin, mostly within the political class, who support the idea of “One Nigeria.”

2.

IPOB believes that the existence and future of the Biafran people as a distinct people are not guaranteed within the Nigerian state, which they describe as a British colonial construct. The movement argues that Biafrans have faced political marginalization, economic disadvantages, cultural suppression, religious manipulation, abuse, and persecution without adequate protection from the state.

3.

IPOB further maintains that many Biafrans do not believe in the Nigerian system because Nigeria was forcefully amalgamated in 1914 by British colonial authorities under Frederick Lugard.

4.

IPOB therefore demands a legitimate referendum supervised by the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), ECOWAS, the European Union (EU), the United States, and the international community to determine whether Biafrans wish to remain in Nigeria or exist as a sovereign State of Biafra, while maintaining peaceful relations with neighboring peoples.

4. What does the Directorate of State (DOS) stand for?

Answer:

The Directorate of State (DOS) is the highest administrative leadership body within the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). It is described by supporters as the organizational backbone of the movement, responsible for maintaining continuity, discipline, and coordination.

The DOS became more prominent following the detention of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, ensuring that the movement continued operating through a decentralized structure.

The DOS is headed by Mazi Chika Edoziem and serves as the central body for strategic planning, decision-making, intelligence coordination, and diplomatic engagement.

According to IPOB supporters, the DOS:

Sustains the movement through a decentralized command structure.

Promotes the Biafran cause through diplomacy, media engagement, and peaceful advocacy.

Seeks a UN-supervised referendum as a pathway to self-determination.

Engages with foreign governments and international organizations to increase global awareness of the Biafran cause.

Provides organizational structure intended to sustain a long-term political campaign for self-determination.

Supporters of IPOB view the DOS as the representative face of the movement and a structure designed to prevent leadership vacuums during periods of political pressure.

5. Who are the Eastern Security Network (ESN), and what is their role?

Answer:

The Eastern Security Network (ESN) is described by IPOB supporters as a volunteer vigilante and security outfit established through the collective decision and initiative of the Directorate of State (DOS), the apex leadership body of IPOB, while its public launch was announced by IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

According to IPOB, ESN was created primarily to protect forests, farmlands, and rural communities within Biafran territories from attacks allegedly carried out by armed Fulani herders, bandits, and other violent criminal elements accused of killings, kidnappings, destruction of farmlands, and attacks on local communities.

IPOB supporters maintain that ESN is specifically focused on combating armed herders and violent banditry because they believe the Nigerian state has failed to adequately criminalize or decisively confront such activities, and in some cases allegedly aids or protects the perpetrators through political influence and state structures.

The movement further describes ESN as a community-based security initiative formed to safeguard ancestral lands, farming communities, and local populations in areas where they believe conventional state security protection has been inadequate.

Compiled  by Anyi kings