Soludo says 100% of criminals responsible for deadly attacks, insecurity in Anambra state are Igbos

The Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Soludo, has revealed that 100% of the people that were responsible for the deadly attacks and security challenges in the state were Igbos, denying that these invaders were from outside.

This is as the governor has said that gunmen no longer have the capacity to carry out deadly attacks as usual in the state.

This was made known by Soludo on a Channels Television programme, Sunday Politics, while assessing the government’s performance since he assumed office as the state’s Chief Security Officer.

Soludo, who was a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), had said that his administration has successfully brought the security threats in the state to the lowest level.

What the Anambra State Governor is saying

Soludo said, “Giving where things were when we came, we are not saying that Anambra is 100% secured … but everybody in Anambra – the 8.5 million residents of Anambra can testify to you that insecurity in Anambra has come down to the barest minimum.

“Fifteen camps (run by gunmen) here (have been) decimated. Even yesterday (Saturday), some other places (where) they were gathering were decimated; we have degraded their infrastructure and I don’t think they have the capacity again to come with the kind of ferocity they had in the past.”

Governor Soludo, who insisted that the security situation has greatly improved, attributed the feat to the efforts of the security forces.

He thanked the security forces and the vigilante groups for their gallantry, as well as the residents for their cooperation in curbing crimes in the state.

He said, “Anambra has been relatively quiet and peaceful, and we are pursuing this agenda,” said the governor. “I would dare to say that if we were to have the statistics over the last three months, I think Anambra will compare favourably as one of the safest comparatively.”

Speaking on the controversies surrounding the identities of those arrested in connection with some of the attacks in the state, the Governor said, “Let me be clear about it; 100% of the people we have caught are Igbos. It is not about some people invading from somewhere; it is 100% Igbos on Igbos, that is the fact.”

What you should know

• Recall that since the swearing in of Soludo as the Governor of Anambra in March 2022, the deadly attacks in the state increased with reported cases of casualties and destruction of both public and private properties.
• Part of the casualties is a state legislature who was killed and beheaded by these unknown gunmen.
• Before Professor Soludo took over the mantle of leadership in the state, residents of Anambra have been living in fear as hardly would a week pass by without the report of an attack.
• In most cases, the assailants target police facilities and offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), among other government properties in the state.
• Most of these attacks have been linked to members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militant wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN)