The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has condemned the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, for allegedly attributing the spate of kidnappings in the South-East region to Igbo youths.
In a statement issued on Thursday by IPOB’s Director of Media and Publicity, Emma Powerful, the separatist group described Soludo’s remarks as “reckless, inflammatory, and genocidally provocative,” warning that such comments could endanger the lives of innocent Igbo people across the South-East.
Governor Soludo, while speaking to Anambra indigenes during an event in Maryland, United States, reportedly claimed that 99 percent of arrested kidnappers in Anambra State were Igbos and not Fulani herdsmen.
Reacting, IPOB accused Soludo of making baseless statements that could be exploited by security agencies and what the group termed “Fulani-sponsored terror militias” to justify fresh attacks, extrajudicial killings, and mass arrests in Igbo communities.
“This public utterance, made without an iota of investigative backing, has now become the green light for the Nigerian security agencies and Fulani-sponsored terror militias to commence another round of massacre and abductions of innocent youths across the South-East,” IPOB said.
IPOB challenged Governor Soludo to produce any credible investigation, data, or court convictions to substantiate his claim that nearly all kidnappers apprehended in Anambra are Igbo youths.
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“We ask the world: What kind of leader, in the face of rampant Fulani herdsmen invasions and military atrocities against his people, turns around to accuse his own youths without evidence?” IPOB queried.
The group insisted that it remains a peaceful and non-violent movement advocating for the self-determination of the Biafran people and denied any involvement in criminal activities, including kidnapping or violent crimes in the South-East.
Further accusing Governor Soludo of playing politics with security issues, IPOB alleged that his comments were aimed at gaining political favour from the ruling elite in Abuja rather than defending the interests of the Igbo people.
The group also took issue with Soludo’s stance on the detention of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, accusing the governor of not doing enough to facilitate Kanu’s release, despite previously making public statements supporting efforts to secure his freedom.
“Soludo has clearly abandoned the cause of securing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s release. Instead, he is now busy seeking political relevance by maligning his own people,” the statement read.
IPOB urged the people of Anambra State and the broader South-East region to remain vigilant and to discern who truly represents their interests.