The Anambra State governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has said the majority of kidnappings and killings in Anambra and other South-East states are perpetrated by Igbos criminals and not “Fulani herdsmen as widely believed”.
Soludo stated this during an interactive town hall meeting with Anambra indigenes in the Diaspora, held at the Metro Points Hotel in New Carrollton, Maryland, United States, adding, “99.99 per cent of kidnappers and other criminals arrested in the state since I assumed office three years ago have been Igbos.”
The governor has been in the US engaging with Anambra indigenes since Sunday to present a detailed report of his three-year stewardship, including key milestones and challenges facing his administration.
In a video circulating in the social media, the governor was seen dispelling what he called a “dangerous and misleading narrative,” stating that “it is not Fulani herdsmen, but homegrown criminal elements terrorising the South-East.”
According to him, many of those who claim to be “liberators” hiding in the forests are, in reality, Igbo youths involved in violent and lucrative criminality for “personal enrichment.”
He said, “Let’s stop deceiving ourselves. Ask yourselves: how do these so-called liberators survive in the forests for months without local support? Who feeds them?
“In my three years and three months in office, nearly every kidnapper and armed criminal we have apprehended is Igbo. Igbos are kidnapping and killing fellow Igbos— not Fulani herdsmen. Anambra belongs to all of us. Our progress is a shared responsibility.”
He urged the indigenes in Diaspora to key into the “think home” philosophy and to invest in the homeland and contribute their skills and resources to its growth.
The governor was flanked by his Chief of Staff, Ernest Ezeajughi, where he delivered a no-holds-barred account of his administration’s achievements and challenges, hghlighting strides in infrastructure, education reforms, health care delivery, youth empowerment, and security.
Also in attendance at the occasion was Nigeria’s Charge d’Affaires in Washington, D.C., Ambassador Samson Itegboje, who emphasised the crucial role of diaspora engagement in national development.
A lively question-and-answer session followed, during which Soludo responded to questions on governance and security just as his responses drew loud applause, with many attendees praising his performance in office.
A respondent said, “He’s the most transparent and development-focused governor we’ve had. At least he’s telling the truth — even if it’s uncomfortable.”
