The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has publicly criticised Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, over recent statements attributing widespread kidnappings and violence in the Southeast to young people of Igbo origin.

The group described the governor’s remarks as reckless and unsupported, warning that they could provoke increased targeting of Igbo youths by security forces and armed groups.

Governor Soludo, speaking during a town hall meeting with Anambra indigenes at the Metro Points Hotel in Maryland, United States, stated that “99.99 per cent of kidnappers and criminals arrested in the state” during his three-year tenure were of Igbo descent.

He added that popular assumptions blaming Fulani herdsmen were misleading, saying the region’s violence stemmed from “homegrown criminal elements.”

A video of the event has since circulated online. In it, the governor questions the survival tactics of forest-based militia groups, pointing out that local support is behind their activities.

“Let’s stop deceiving ourselves,” he said. “Ask yourselves, how do these so-called liberators survive in the forests without community backing?”

He further alleged that some individuals claiming to be freedom fighters were in fact young Igbo men engaged in criminal activities for financial gain.

But, the IPOB, in a statement issued Thursday by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, warned that the governor’s comments lacked evidence and could serve as a justification for arbitrary arrests and violence against innocent individuals in the Southeast.

According to the group, Soludo’s words may embolden military operations and “Fulani-sponsored militias” to commit further acts of aggression.

The group questioned the timing and motive of the remarks, accusing Soludo of pandering to political interests and ignoring alleged external threats against the region. It challenged him to produce credible investigations or court convictions supporting his claim.

It added, “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 Southeast.”

IPOB also condemned what it called the governor’s inconsistent stance on the continued detention of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu. While Soludo had previously advocated for Kanu’s release, IPOB said his current posture contradicted those efforts.

In the same forum, Soludo encouraged diaspora participation in rebuilding Anambra, urging the attendees to invest and contribute to developmental projects. Present during the event were members of the governor’s cabinet and Nigeria’s Charge d’Affaires in Washington, D.C., Ambassador Samson Itegboje, who reiterated the importance of diaspora engagement.

The event concluded with a question-and-answer session, where members of the audience commended the governor for his openness and leadership style. However, IPOB’s latest reaction suggests that political tensions over the security narrative in the South-East remain deeply polarised.