Our Reporter, Abuja
Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo has made revelation regarding the identity of those behind the persistent insecurity in Anambra State. In doing so, he dispelled long-held narratives about the Fulani herdsmen being the major culprits pointing directly at Igbo youths as 99.9 % culpable.
Speaking at a meeting with Anambra people living in the United States, a video of which is circulating online, Soludo revealed that nearly all criminals apprehended in Anambra’s troubled forests have been young men of Igbo origin—not Fulani herdsmen, as widely alleged in the region.
“If we have arrested 100 criminals (gunmen) who are operating from the bush, 99.9% of them are Igbo youths,” Soludo stated.
“These things they were saying—that Fulani herdsmen were responsible—was part of the lies and propaganda that pushed these young people into the bushes.”
He explained that what initially seemed like a resistance movement had, over time, transformed into an organized criminal enterprise. According to the governor, many of these young men turned to kidnapping as a more profitable venture after internet fraud (locally known as “yahoo-yahoo”) began to decline in returns.
“They came with these stories that Fulanis are invading our lands, camped everywhere, and just waiting for the whistle to take over. And nobody stopped to ask the simple question: these people going into the bushes to liberate you, how do they eat—for one month, six months, one year?”
“They are into kidnapping because it is the next lucrative business after yahoo-yahoo dulled,” Soludo said.
Soludo also revealed that sadly, the criminality is now referred to as “Anambra business.”
“Youths, even from other states, now call it ‘going into Anambra business.’”
He described a disturbing recruitment trend where those who profited from kidnapping returned home with motorcycles and wealth, enticing others to join what has now become a dangerous underground economy.
“They recruit others and take them to the bush. And when they are arrested, they claim that Fulanis are responsible. Quote me correctly: 99.9% of the criminals and kidnappers we have arrested are Igbo youths. They are the ones kidnapping Igbos. They are the ones killing Igbos.”
He urged members of the diaspora to reflect deeply on the real issues facing the South-East and to stop spreading unverified claims that fuel fear, misinformation, and violence.
“So those of you here—and by the way, I am one of you before I decided to go over there—I ask you to be part of the solution, not the echo chamber for propaganda.”
Governor Soludo’s remarks underline his administration’s determination to confront the realities of insecurity in Anambra without masking them in ethno-regional scapegoating.
