The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has condemned Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State over his recent claim that 99.9 per cent of crimes in the South-East are committed by residents of the region.
In a strongly worded statement on Tuesday, MASSOB described the comment as false, divisive, and potentially damaging to the governor’s chances of securing a second term in office.
The group, in a statement signed by its National Director of Information, Edeson Samuel, accused Soludo of downplaying the atrocities allegedly committed against the Igbo by Fulani herders and warned that “selling falsehood to please external interests will not secure him another tenure.”
MASSOB cited numerous incidents across the South-East that it said were perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen, including the killings at the Gariki Cattle Market in Lokpanta, Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State, where over 200 Igbo people were allegedly massacred.
“Other heinous attacks, including the killings and destruction in Nimbo, Ehamufu, and Ugwogo Nike in Enugu State, and Obinze in Imo State, were all carried out by the same marauding elements,” the group alleged.
“It is disheartening to see Governor Soludo turning a blind eye to the daily reports of killings, kidnappings, rapes, and destruction of farmlands committed by Fulani herdsmen in Anambra State,” the statement added.
MASSOB further alleged that parts of Enugu city, especially around the New Garki and New Artisan Markets, have become hotbeds of criminality controlled by Hausa-Fulani gangs, where illegal activities, including alleged human organ trade, are said to thrive.
The pro-Biafra group insisted that the real agents of insecurity in Anambra include not only external aggressors but also politically sponsored militant groups like “Ndi Aka Odo” and “Ndi Udo Ga Chi,” which it alleged are operating under state protection.
However, the governor received backing from a faith-based human rights advocacy group, Nomadic Rights Concern (NORIC), which praised him for what it described as an honest and courageous acknowledgment of the reality of crime in the region.
In a statement signed by its chairman, Prof. Umar Muhammad Labdo, and issued in Abuja, NORIC hailed Soludo as a "presidential material" and commended him for “demystifying the myth of Fulani criminality.”
“The governor’s bold stance is a landmark declaration and an eye-opener,” NORIC said, urging other South-East leaders to emulate Soludo by “speaking the truth no matter how uncomfortable it may be.”
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