Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese has dismissed reports suggesting he said Christians in Nigeria are not facing persecution, Peak Newspaper reports.
In a statement titled “Of the Persecution of Christians in Nigeria: My Response”, Kukah expressed surprise at attempts to attribute a position to him that he never held. He said:
“I am baffled that despite the clarity of my position, there appear to be determined efforts to ascribe to me a position as saying that there is no persecution of Christians in Nigeria.”
The Catholic Bishop clarified that his remarks during an address to members of the Catholic Knights of St. Mulumba in Kaduna on November 28 were misrepresented. During the event, he spoke about “the challenges of bearing witness to Christ in a time of persecution” and urged Christians to embrace unity and solidarity. He emphasized:
“I concluded that the greatest challenge for Christians was unity and solidarity.”
Kukah also apologised for any distress caused by the misreporting, saying:
“First, let me say how sincerely sorry I am to be associated with representations that understandably are a source of great pain and mental anguish to so many of my brothers and sisters within the body of Christ.”
He reiterated his longstanding stance against killings and bloodshed in Nigeria, calling on the government and security agencies to hold perpetrators accountable.
“Too many innocent souls have been lost, too much blood shed and our children and citizens are in captivity. Nothing here implied a denial of the fate of Christians,” Kukah added.
The bishop’s clarification comes amid ongoing debates and international attention on the security situation in Nigeria.
