Soludo Says Criminals Terrorizing Southeast are Igbos not Fulani

Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has insisted that those behind the wave of violence in the Southeast are predominantly Igbos, not Fulani herdsmen as widely believed.

Soludo made the statement while addressing indigenes of Anambra during a town hall meeting in Maryland, USA. His comments came in response to allegations by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), which claimed Fulani terrorists were hiding in forests across the region, disguised as herdsmen.

Rejecting the claim, Soludo said: “In my three years and three months in office, 99.99% of the kidnappers and other criminals we’ve arrested are Igbo. Let’s stop the lies. Igbos are kidnapping and killing fellow Igbos, not Fulani.”

He further described those operating in the forests as “homegrown criminals feeding fat on blood money” under the pretense of protecting locals from herdsmen. “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?” he added.

However, Intersociety strongly disagreed with the governor’s remarks. In a statement signed by its Board of Trustees Chairman, Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi, the group accused Soludo’s administration of shielding Fulani herdsmen and described the governor’s comments as misleading.

“We’re strongly puncturing Gov Charles Soludo’s Maryland speech in the USA, exonerating Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen in Anambra’s forest and farmland insecurity,” the group said.

Intersociety also claimed that Fulani terrorist camps exist in communities such as Awka South, Awka North, Oyi, Ayamelum, Orumba South and North, and Dunukofia.

“The state government has also severally been found to have joined conventional security establishments in the state and beyond in shielding these jihadists and shifting blames over their atrocities to militant IPOB or ESN or Unknown Gunmen,” the group stated.