Soludo Dismisses Attacks, Kidnappings in Igboland Carried Out by Fulani Herdsmen
Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo of Anambra State has firmly dismissed claims that Fulani herdsmen are responsible for widespread violence and kidnappings in the state, declaring that nearly all those arrested for such crimes are of Igbo origin.
Speaking during a townhall meeting with the Anambra Diaspora community in the United States, the governor challenged what he described as a long-standing “false narrative” that blames Fulani herders for insecurity in the Southeast.
“I have been in office for three years and three months. If we have arrested 100 criminals in the bush kidnappers and so on 99.99% are Igbo people,” Soludo said. “You heard me right. I said 99.99% are Igbo people.”
The governor stressed that this reality contradicts popular beliefs fueled by social media and regional propaganda, which often blame Fulani herdsmen for attacks on farmlands and rural communities.
“That’s part of the lies that were put in propaganda that led to Igbo youths entering into bushes and forests,” Soludo continued. “They’re into kidnapping because it is the next lucrative business after ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ and drugs. After drugs and internet fraud, the next one they find is kidnapping.”
He noted that many of those involved in these activities have built criminal empires under the guise of self-defense or ethnic resistance.
According to the governor, when such individuals are apprehended, they often shift blame to Fulani herders in order to evade responsibility.
“If you catch him, he will tell you it is Fulani herdsmen,” Soludo said, urging Nigerians at home and abroad to confront the uncomfortable truth. “Igbos are the ones kidnapping Igbos. They are the ones killing Igbos. All these criminal camps are populated by Igbo youths.”
Governor Soludo, a former Central Bank of Nigeria governor and a vocal advocate for regional development, admitted that he too once believed the claims of an imminent Fulani invasion.
However, his experience in office, he said, has exposed the narrative as a dangerous myth that has led many youths astray.
“The false narrative they gave us is, ‘Oh! the Fulanis are invading our people, and they are now everywhere, waiting for a whistle to be blown to take over.’ But I came into office and found a different truth.”
The governor’s blunt remarks have already begun sparking debate within the Igbo community both at home and abroad. While some applaud his candor, others argue that such statements may oversimplify the complex roots of insecurity in the region.
Soludo’s comments come at a time of heightened concern over the security situation in the Southeast, where separatist agitation, armed attacks, and abductions have disrupted economic and social life.
