I didn’t say there was no Christian genocide in Nigeria – Bishop Kukah

Matthew Kukah, Catholic Bishop of the Sokoto Diocese, has dismissed reports suggesting he claimed there is no persecution of Christians in Nigeria, saying his comments were misunderstood.

The bishop made the clarification on Sunday while speaking on Boiling Point, a programme aired on several radio stations across the country.

Kukah reacts to genocide claims

The controversy followed Nigeria’s redesignation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) by former United States President Donald Trump on October 31, over allegations of Christian genocide.

The CPC label is used by the US government for countries accused of “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom”.

While the Nigerian government has consistently rejected claims of a Christian genocide, the issue gained global attention after Trump warned in November that the US could intervene militarily to protect Christians in Nigeria.

On December 25, the US later carried out air strikes on two terrorist hideouts in the Bauni forest area of Tangaza Local Government Area, Sokoto State.

‘My comment was mischaracterised’

Responding to the reports, Kukah said his earlier remarks were taken out of context.

“I never denied the killing of our people [Christians],” he said.

“I don’t want to go into the details of the mischaracterisation of what I said, but it shocked me that Christians were going around saying that I said there is no persecution of Christians in Nigeria.”

He stressed that he has always acknowledged the reality of violence against Christians.

“The only clarification I can give is that I have never denied that there is persecution of Christians in Nigeria. Whether it’s persecution, whether it’s genocide, by God, this thing ought not to have happened,” Kukah said.

“Wherever we can get help from, Trump, whatever, these killings ought not to have happened in the first place.”

Insecurity affects all Nigerians

The bishop also emphasised that insecurity in Nigeria cuts across religious lines.

“In my central argument about security in Nigeria, it doesn’t matter where you are, whether you are Muslim, whether you are Christian, you are in danger of being abducted,” he said.

Kukah recalled that in October, he advised the US government against redesignating Nigeria as a CPC, noting that many Nigerians feel unsafe regardless of their background.

According to him, Nigerians “feel vulnerable and unprotected irrespective of their faiths, ethnicity or social classes”.