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Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has pushed back against widespread claims blaming Fulani herdsmen for the surge in kidnappings and violent crimes across the Southeast.
Addressing Anambra indigenes at a town hall meeting in Maryland over the weekend, Governor Charles Soludo stated that contrary to widespread assumptions, virtually all criminals arrested in the state are locals and not external actors.
“The so-called liberators hiding in the forests are homegrown criminals feeding fat on blood money. They come under the guise that they are the ones protecting you from Fulani herdsmen,” the governor declared.
He went on to question the logistics of the militants’ activities: “They live in the bushes for months, but no one has ever asked how these so-called liberators survive in the forest. They have to feed, who is paying for their services, don’t they have needs?”
Marking his third year and third month in office this week, Governor Charles Soludo delivered stark statistics that challenge prevailing assumptions about crime in Anambra. Speaking candidly, he declared, “Over the past three years and three months, 99.99% of the kidnappers and criminals we’ve arrested are Igbo. Let’s stop deceiving ourselves. It’s Igbos kidnapping and killing fellow Igbos, not Fulani.”
His comments appear aimed at quelling what he described as a “false narrative” that Fulani herders are hiding in the region’s forests to orchestrate attacks. However, his remarks have sparked heated reactions within Anambra and across the Southeast.
Read also: It Took Me One Year To Decide To Join APGA In 2013 – Soludo
On Monday, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) issued a strongly worded statement criticising the governor’s position. The rights group accused his administration of shielding “jihadist herders since 2022,” alleging that Anambra had effectively become “ranching-compliant” to align with Federal Government directives. It warned that such a stance risks turning the state into “a keg of jihadist gunpowder.”
Intersociety maintains that Fulani herders continue to operate in the Southeast’s remote areas—a claim Governor Soludo resolutely denies. Amid rising tensions over security and the true identities of those behind violent crimes in the region, community leaders are now calling for independent and transparent investigations. They argue that only verifiable intelligence can restore public confidence and ensure lasting peace in Anambra and beyond.
