The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has informed the United States Congress Commission that the Federal Government is weak in handling the insecurity issues in Nigeria. This negates the promise the government made to look into the issues before the swearing-in ceremony in 2015.
Kukah made this assertion on Wednesday during his virtual presentation to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in Washington, DC, U.S. His statement centers on the persecution Christians are being subjected to by extremist groups in Northern Nigeria.
Besides, the cleric said that the citizens haven’t seen any change in the manner at which insecurity is being handled. This makes him feel that there may be a religious connotation to it. Consequently, President Muhammadu Buhari was accused of intentionally appointing the people from his faith and ethnic group into political offices. Kukah said,
“The North, even the whole country, is invaded by armed bandits, kidnappers etc, who attack communities at will. The fact that the government seems to be either helpless or uninterested in dealing decisively with these people has added more confusion.
“The contradiction here is that the President has blatantly pursued nepotistic agenda and policies that show very clearly his preference for men and women of his faith.”
In addition, he said that the contention between Christians and Muslims has increased. This is the highest so far.
“For the first time in Nigeria, the people heading the three arms of government – President, Senate President, Speaker and Chief Justice – are all Muslims. These are all fine gentlemen, but that is not the point. The level of rivalry between Christians and Muslims has worsened. This kind of situation has never happened before,” he said.
While speaking before the U.S. Congress Commission, Kukah stated that religious violence against Christians in Nigeria was a reoccurring issue for years. However, in the past 10 years, the assault has sky-rocked consistently.
The bishop reiterated that Christian schools are the major targets for the extremists. The children in the schools are kidnapped, indoctrinated, and converted to sexual slaves, cooks, wives, spies, etc. Kukah recalled the case of one of the victims of the extremists who is still in their custody.
“The story of Leah Sharibu suggests very clearly that there is, in many instances, a relationship between the conditions in which people find themselves and their faith. In 2020, some of our priests in the North were killed.
"The extremists kidnapped our children and forcefully converted them to Muslims. What is significant here is that we are in a democracy; with weak structures and institutions. These are existential issues. So, we require practical assistance that can help us and our children,” he concluded.
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