Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, has stated that the overwhelming majority of criminal activities in the South-East are perpetrated by Igbo people themselves, rather than by Fulani herdsmen as widely claimed.
Speaking at a town hall meeting with Anambra indigenes in Maryland, United States, Governor Soludo disclosed that 99.9% of individuals arrested for terrorism, kidnapping, and related crimes in the region under his administration have been Igbo.
“The so-called liberators hiding in the forests are actually homegrown criminals feeding fat on blood money,” Soludo said. “They claim to protect you from Fulani herdsmen, yet no one asks how they survive for months in the bushes—who pays them? Who feeds them? Don’t they have personal needs?”
The governor added that after over three years in office, evidence consistently shows that these criminals are from the local communities, not external groups.
“Let’s stop deceiving ourselves,” Soludo continued. “Igbos are kidnapping and killing fellow Igbos—not Fulani.”
Rights Group Disagrees
However, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) disagreed with Soludo’s position, maintaining that herdsmen remain active in forests across the South-East and continue to pose security threats in the zone.
Governor Soludo’s remarks have sparked widespread debate, highlighting the complexity of security challenges facing the region and raising fresh questions about their root causes and those behind them.
