Anambra State’s Governor Chukwuma Soludo has come under attack for saying during a visit to the United States that 99.9 percent of all the arrested kidnappers in the state were Igbo people, while absolving Fulani herdsmen of the insecurity bedevilling the region.
However, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), a human rights organisation, disagreed with the Governor’s claims.
The group maintained that Fulani herdsmen remain active in the forests of the South-East and continue to pose a threat to security.
Intersociety called for a comprehensive security strategy that addresses all sources of violence and avoids generalisations.
The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), a human rights and advocacy group in Nigeria, refuted the Governor’s submission.
According to a statement signed this week by the Intersociety Board Chairmen, Emeka Umeagbalasi, the Governor’s statement was “reckless,” “vexatious,” and “gravely endangering the security and safety of the State and her citizens.
“The Governor is gravely endangering the security and safety of the State… especially their present and future safety.
“His government’s kid-gloves and lukewarm approaches to jihadist herdsmen and their genocidal activities across the state since the inception of his administration on March 17, 2022, are deeply troubling.”
Intersociety accused Governor Soludo of shielding the killer herdsmen despite evidence of their involvement in violent crimes, claiming they account for “not less than 30 percent of violent crimes across the State.
“About 60 percent or more of forest camps belonging to violent criminals… including armed herdsmen are yet to be accessed or raided by security forces.”
Referencing a media report published on June 23, 2025, Umeagbalasi said Anambra State has been listed among 11 states that embraced the Nigerian government’s cattle ranching plan, a move he described as “blind, selfish and strongly condemnable.”
The group warned of the long-term consequences of the state’s alleged complicity.
“Anambra State… now sits on a keg of jihadist gunpowder… with grave dangers,” the statement warned.
The group also pointed to a specific incident in April 2024, where a family of three was abducted and allegedly raped by herdsmen in the Ukwulu forest.
Intersociety claimed that after being alerted, the state government denied the incident and labelled it a “concocted narrative.”
Umeagbalasi added, “His assertion that ‘none of the 99.5 percent of those arrested in Anambra State is a member of killer herdsmen’… does not hold water, especially against the backdrop of intelligence bias and lack of credible forensic capabilities by the State.”
The group further alleged that in 2021, a senior official in Soludo’s government was accused of facilitating land acquisitions for herdsmen in various Anambra communities, including Awka North and South, Ayamelum, and Dunukofia.
Despite commending Soludo’s efforts in improving roads and providing free education, Intersociety maintained that “the worst and most dangerous part” of his administration is its alleged role in bringing the herdsmen ranching agenda to the South-East, potentially at the cost of future security and cultural survival.
