Nearly All Kidnapping Arrests in Anambra Are Igbo Youths - Gov Soludo Reveals, Dispels Fulani Herder Narrative

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Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has disclosed that almost all individuals arrested for kidnapping and related crimes in the state over the past three years are of Igbo descent.

Speaking at a town hall meeting with Anambra citizens in New Carrollton, Maryland, USA, Soludo challenged the widespread belief that Fulani herders were the primary perpetrators of violent crimes in the South-East.

“Over the past three years and three months, approximately 99.99% of those apprehended for kidnapping or criminal activities are Igbo youths,” the governor revealed.

Soludo admitted he once shared the assumption that herders were behind the attacks but stated that investigations and arrests have proven otherwise.

He argued that the false narrative of external threats had inadvertently encouraged some local youths to engage in kidnapping as a lucrative venture, similar to trends like internet fraud and drug trafficking.

“These criminal networks are operated by our own people, and the so-called kidnappers’ camps uncovered by security forces are manned by Igbos,” he emphasized.

The governor further explained that the crime wave has drawn participants from neighboring states, who refer to kidnapping in Anambra as “the Anambra job.”

These outsiders often buy motorcycles, train in forest hideouts, and sometimes disguise themselves as Fulani when caught.

“We initially believed we were confronting invaders in the forests, but no one questioned how these so-called liberators survived for months. Who was feeding them?” Soludo asked.

He urged Anambra indigenes abroad to contribute to solving the problem by investing in their communities and supporting local development initiatives.

“Let me be clear: 99.99% of those arrested are Igbos. These criminal networks are homegrown,” he stated.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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