Kukah: I never denied persecution of Christians in Nigeria
Matthew Kukah, the Catholic bishop of Sokoto diocese, has dismissed reports suggesting that he denied the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, saying his comments were taken out of context.
Kukah spoke on Sunday during an appearance on Boiling Point, a current affairs programme aired on several radio stations.
The clarification comes amid heightened debate following the decision by Donald Trump to redesignate Nigeria as a country of particular concern (CPC) on October 31, citing allegations of widespread violations of religious freedom, including claims of a genocide against Christians.
The CPC label is applied by the United States government to countries accused of engaging in “systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom”. Nigerian authorities have repeatedly rejected the genocide narrative.
In November, Trump further escalated the rhetoric, warning that the US could intervene militarily in Nigeria to protect Christians, comments that drew sharp reactions from Abuja. Weeks later, on December 25, US forces carried out air strikes on two militant enclaves in Bauni forest, Tangaza LGA of Sokoto state.
Addressing the controversy, Kukah said he was disturbed by claims that he had dismissed the suffering of Christian communities.
“I never denied the killing of our people,” the cleric said.
“I was shocked to hear that Christians were saying I claimed there was no persecution of Christians in Nigeria. That was never my position.”
Kukah stressed that regardless of whether the violence is described as persecution or genocide, the loss of lives was unacceptable.
“Whether you call it persecution or genocide, by God, these killings should never have happened,” he said.
“Wherever help can come from — Trump or anyone else — these deaths should not have occurred in the first place.”
The bishop also argued that Nigeria’s security crisis cuts across religious lines, noting that insecurity has become a shared national burden.
“Insecurity in Nigeria does not discriminate,” he said. “Whether you are Muslim or Christian, people are being abducted and killed.”
In October, Kukah had cautioned the US against redesignating Nigeria as a CPC, arguing that Nigerians across faiths, ethnic groups and social classes feel increasingly vulnerable and unprotected.
He reiterated that addressing insecurity requires confronting its root causes rather than framing it solely through a religious lens.
Related to this topic:
