A faith-based advocacy and human rights group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has commended Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State for linking majority of the kidnappings and killings in Anambra and other South-East states to criminals among the Igbo and not the Fulani as widely believed.
The governor stated this during an interactive town hall meeting with Anambra indigenes in the Diaspora. The programme was held at the Metro Points Hotel in New Carrollton, Maryland, United States of America.
The group “commended the governor for being forthright and identified him as one possessing the right qualities of a future Nigerian president.’
According to its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola on Friday, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, in his own words, said, ‘99.99 per cent of kidnappers and other criminals arrested in the state since he assumed office three years ago have been Igbos.
“This is a landmark declaration. It is indeed an eye-opener for all those who have been following the unfortunate incidents of kidnappings and killings in the South East. We give kudos to Governor Soludo for this honest assertion. It is bold, deep and far-reaching,” Akintola said, adding that, “for refusing to dance to the gallery and for hitting the nail on the head without caring whose ox is gored, Soludo has proved that he is a Nigerian-president-in-the-waiting.
“This incident has demystified the myth of the Fulani criminal which is more often than not bandied about among gullible Nigerians to stigmatise the Fulani race. On the contrary, we have always maintained that crime has no ethnicity, no religion. Criminals are available everywhere but many Southerners have been misled into believing that every kidnapping or killing committed in the region can only be traced to Fulanis.
MURIC urged other governors, traditional rulers and community leaders in the region to follow the good example of Governor Soludo by speaking out on this subject.
Akintola said, “We must reject stereotypes. We must treat fellow Nigerians only on the basis of what we owe the rest of humanity, namely, openness, love and kindness.
“Soludo comes across as a suitable candidate for Aso Rock in the near future. Genuine national healing can only come under the leadership of a completely detribalized leader like Chukwuma Soludo. He speaks truth to his people and refuses to listen to sycophants.
“Instead of exhibiting disappointment and bitterness towards Governor Soludo for his frankness, we advise the Igbo people to rally round the governor. The South east is in dire need of a leader who is respected nationwide. Soludo has earned that nationwide respect through good governance and also with this Fulani-related incident.
“This is an indubitable presidential material that the Igbos must nurture to maturity. To us, anyone who has the capacity to accommodate all ethnicities and all faiths is a great asset. Soludo is a treasure without measure.
“As we take a break, we charge people of other parts of the country to eschew their anti-Fulani prejudice. Innocent Fulanis have been attacked and killed in some parts of the country. Men of conscience should pause and reflect over the killings and profiling of innocent men and women simply because they belong to a particular race or religion. We must allow good reasoning and objectivity to dictate our actions, not sentiment, not emotion, not perception.”
