Anambra: 99.9% Kidnappers, Criminals Arrested Are Igbo — Soludo

Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has disclosed that most of the kidnappers and other criminals arrested in the state over the period of three years are Igbo.

The Anambra governor, who is seeking re-election for a second term in office, stated this on Monday during a town hall meeting with the Anambra State Diaspora Community in the United States.

Soludo, while dismissing claims that Fulani herdsmen were behind kidnapping in the state, said youths from the region are the ones kidnapping people in the South-East.

“I have been in the office for three years and three months; if we have arrested hundred criminals, kidnappers and so forth, 99.99% are Igbo youths,” he said.

Continuing, governor Soludo noted that the idea of Fulani taking over land and kidnapping people are false narrative.

“Igbo are the ones kidnapping Igbo, they are the ones killing Igbo. All these camps are Igbo youths. And by the way because I came with the same false narrative. The false narrative they gave us is Oh! the Fulanis, they’re invading our people, and they are now everywhere, they’re waiting for a whistle to be blown and they will take over,” Soludo added.

According to the governor, Igbo youths were deceived to go into the forests to engage in kidnapping for ransom and other forms of criminal activities as the new lucrative business.

He likened kidnapping to other fraudulent activities such as Yahoo Yahoo.

He further said, “That’s part of the lies that were put in propaganda that led to Igbo youths to enter bushes and forest. They’re into kidnapping because it is the next lucrative business after ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ and drugs. After drugs and ‘yahoo yahoo,’ the next one they find is kidnapping.”

The disclosure from the governor is coming days after Tribune Online reports attack on Ogboji, a community in the Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State, by suspected gunmen leading to the killing over 13 people from Ebonyi State.

Earlier, the Anambra State government blamed the attack which was widely condemned on internal crisis within the Ebonyi association, adding that it was “not targeted at any particular state or ethnic group.”

Also, the Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, condemned the murder citizens from the state in Anambra, vowing to seek justice for the victims.

In a subsequent development, Tribune Online reports that the Anambra State Police Command announced the arrest of a suspect, Sunday Mbanu, in connection with the brutal killing.

Source: Tribune