Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, has made a startling revelation that 99 percent of kidnappers and criminals arrested in the state over the past three years are of Igbo origin.
Soludo made the statement during a town hall meeting with Anambra indigenes in the Diaspora, held in the United States over the weekend.
Dismissing widespread claims that Fulani herdsmen are behind most kidnappings and violent crimes in the state, the governor stressed that available records from security agencies point inward.
“Let’s be honest with ourselves. 99 percent of the people arrested for kidnapping and other violent crimes in Anambra in the last three years are Igbos—not outsiders, not Fulani,” Soludo said.
The former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor noted that criminality in the region has become a home-grown problem urging citizens to stop shifting blame and instead focus on community-led security efforts and re-orientation of values.
He emphasized the importance of data-driven governance and said security agencies in the state are working with facts, not assumptions or tribal narratives.
“I know it’s easier to blame others, but the data doesn’t lie. We must begin to tell ourselves the truth if we’re serious about solving these problems,” he added.
Governor Soludo’s comments have sparked mixed reactions on social media, with some praising his honesty, while others questioned the political implications of such a bold admission.
The governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to tackling insecurity through intelligence gathering, community policing, and job creation for the youth.
Anambra has witnessed a wave of criminal activity in recent years, including kidnappings, cult clashes, and attacks on security personnel. Soludo’s disclosure appears aimed at shifting the conversation from blame to accountability.
