Simon Ekpa Defies Kanu, Takes Full Control Of IPOB  

The fight for control of finances of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has torn the outlawed organisation apart as factions loyal to the leader, Nnamdi Kanu, continue to clash with factions loyal to Simon Ekpa.

LEADERSHIP Weekend investigations revealed that the IPOB leader, who is in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), is currently not happy with Ekpa who has continued to defy his orders.

Highly placed security sources who spoke with LEADERSHIP Weekend on the issue said“Kanu is really not happy with the fight for the financial control in his absence. He is complaining that Ekpa is not taking orders from him in respect of directives on the activities of the group. Imagine Kanu has given directive on several occasions for the abolition of the sit-at-home order but Ekpa keeps countering the directive.

“Also, on the just concluded elections, Kanu is not happy that despite his directive for elections to hold in the South-east with massive turnout, Epka issued a counter-directive which almost affected the outcome of the election.”

Sources said family members of Kanu are currently fighting over the control of IPOB’s finances  (over 700,000 Euros in one account and over 500,000 dollars in another).

Kanu’s two siblings are currently at loggerheads over who should be in charge of the dollar account and this is tearing the operations of the group apart.

The account in Euros which is being controlled by the Ekpa faction, is also having issues as the German government has restricted the account over who should be signatories to it.

The sources said since the group cannot agree on the signatories, the German government had no option than to restrict the account and this is causing IPOB great issues in its operations.

A few months ago, crisis rocked the legal team of the Kanu as he continues his terrorism case with the federal government.

Kanu had expressed worry over the seeming clash in his legal team over who is to lead the council in order to succeed at the court in the ongoing terrorism case with the federal government.

Kanu is threatening to replace the team with another set as he feels that some members are fleecing him and are not interested in securing his release.