Soludo: Igbo Criminals, Not Fulani Herdsmen, Behind Southeast Insecurity

Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has declared that the majority of criminals responsible for terrorising the South-East region are not Fulani herdsmen, but indigenous Igbo youths.

Speaking during a town hall meeting with Anambra indigenes in Maryland, United States, Governor Soludo dismissed the widespread belief that Fulani terrorists disguised as herdsmen are behind most of the kidnappings and violent attacks in the region.

He asserted that nearly all of those apprehended for criminal activities in Anambra State during his administration have been of Igbo descent.

“In my three years and three months in office, 99.99% of the kidnappers and other criminals we’ve arrested are Igbo,” Soludo stated. “The so-called liberators hiding in the forests are homegrown criminals feeding fat on blood money. They claim they are protecting you from Fulani herdsmen, but in truth, they are the ones kidnapping, killing, and extorting fellow Igbos.”

The governor further questioned the logic behind the support some of these groups receive from locals. “They live in the bushes for months—how do they survive? Who pays for their upkeep? Let’s stop deceiving ourselves. The violence and insecurity in our region are largely self-inflicted,” he said.

However, the governor’s comments have sparked strong opposition from a human rights organisation, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), which insisted that Fulani herdsmen remain a significant threat in the region.

In a press statement signed by its Board of Trustees Chairman, Mr Emeka Umeagbalasi, Intersociety accused the Soludo-led administration of protecting jihadist Fulani elements and attempting to divert attention from their activities.

“We strongly reject Governor Soludo’s claims in the US, exonerating Fulani herdsmen in Anambra’s forest and farmland insecurity,” the group stated.

Umeagbalasi alleged that several communities across the state—including Awka North and South, Oyi, Ayamelum, Orumba North and South, and Dunukofia—host camps operated by armed Fulani herdsmen.

“The state government has, on several occasions, collaborated with federal security forces to shield these jihadists, while wrongly attributing their atrocities to IPOB, ESN, or unknown gunmen,” he added.

Intersociety warned that the state is being pushed dangerously close to becoming a Fulani-compliant ranching state, describing the situation as sitting on a “keg of jihadist gunpowder.”

The clash of perspectives between the state government and rights groups underscores the complexity and sensitivity of the security crisis in the South-East, as communities continue to grapple with violence, fear, and deepening mistrust.