Kukah Voids Allegation of Christian Persecution in Nigeria, "Nobody Approached the Catholic Church"
- Most Reverend Matthew Hassan Kukah has reiterated that Christians are not being persecuted in Nigeria
- Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese and convener of the National Peace Committee (NPC), advised people to be factual
- Kukah affirmed his alignment with all Catholic bishops in the country on the issue of alleged Christian killings
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
Kaduna, Kaduna state - Matthew Kukah, the outspoken Catholic bishop of Sokoto Diocese, has disagreed with the notion that there is Christian persecution in Nigeria.
As reported by Vanguard on Saturday, November 29, Kukah warned that weaponising religion and unrestrained extremism threaten Nigeria’s survival.
Source: UGC
Legit.ng recalls that in October, Bishop Kukah urged the United States (US) not to re-designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over religious freedom, arguing that such a move would “hurt ongoing efforts” to promote dialogue, national healing, and interfaith understanding under the current Bola Tinubu administration.
Kukah said that although Nigeria remains deeply troubled by violence, discrimination, and insecurity, there are encouraging signs of progress under the present administration that should be strengthened, not punished.
Speaking at the 46th Supreme Convention of the Knights of St. Mulumba (KSM), which formally opened on Friday, November 28, in Kaduna state, Kukah again addressed the issue of alleged Christian killings in Nigeria.
His words:
“They are saying that 1,200 churches are burnt in Nigeria every year, and I ask myself, in which Nigeria? Interestingly, nobody approached the Catholic Church to get accurate data.
"We do not know where these figures came from. All those talking about persecution, has anyone ever called to ask, ‘Bishop Kukah, what is the situation?’ The data being circulated cleverly avoids the Catholic Church because they know Catholics do not indulge in hearsay.”
“Genocide” is misused - Kukah
Furthermore, explaining the alleged misuse of the word genocide, the cleric noted that genocide is not based on the number of people killed.
He said:
“You can kill 10 million people, and it still won’t amount to genocide. The critical determinant is intent, whether the aim is to eliminate a group of people. So, you don’t determine genocide by numbers; you determine it by intention. We need to be more clinical in the issues we discuss.”
Bishop Kukah challenged the narrative of Christian persecution in the country.
He said:
“If you are a Christian in Nigeria and you say you are persecuted, my question is: how? At least 80% of educated Nigerians are Christians, and up to 85% of the Nigerian economy is controlled by Christians. With such figures, how can anyone say Christians are being persecuted?”
Source: UGC
Bishop Kukah’s stance: Nigerians react
Meanwhile, Nigerians on social media are reacting to Bishop Kukah’s remarks.
Legit.ng captured some comments on X (formerly Twitter) below:
@oceanbase80 commented:
“A man that doesn't know how it feels to have a child will not understand how painful it is to loose (sic) one."
Olufemi Aduwo wrote:
“Bishop Kukah’s narrative is fundamentally flawed. Under international law, you may kill millions, and it still may not constitute genocide if the specific intent to destroy a protected group is absent. Conversely, you may kill as few as one hundred people or even fewer and genocide is legally established if the perpetrators acted with the intent to annihilate, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.
“This is the settled position of the 1948 Genocide Convention and repeatedly affirmed by the United Nations Tribunal for Rwanda. Therefore, the Bishop is wrong to dismiss the possibility of Christian genocide in Nigeria. The decisive factor is not arithmetic, but intent and where targeted attacks against Christians occur, the legal threshold for genocide may well be met.”
@NnaemekaEdeh1 wrote:
"Corn Bishop. Don't boast of your integrity until you survive Tinubu."
@divclins wrote:
"It's gradually making sense that religion cannot save it's people (Christianity & Islam), but only GOD will. When religion becomes corrupt by politics, they thwart the truth. Because of political appointment, Kukah has sold his faith and truth just to defend his puppet master."
@Pekuliapers said:
"And the Catholic knights, some who have lost their loved ones to terrorists, sat down and were listening to the man who is openly betraying the people he is meant to lead.
"Bishop Kukah and Fr Alia, Posterity will judge you.
"He is denying what Catholic Bishops condemned."
Kukah mentions 'accidental Nigerian leaders'
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Bishop Kukah said all Nigerian presidents since independence were accidental, except President Tinubu.
Tracing the history of Nigeria’s leadership, Kukah stated that none of the country’s past leaders, including former presidents Muhammadu Buhari, Goodluck Jonathan, Umaru Yar’adua, Olusegun Obasanjo, Ernest Shonekan, and Sani Abacha, came to power prepared.
Source: Legit.ng
