Olayiwola Matthew
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese and Convener of the National Peace Committee (NPC), Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, has reiterated that Christians are not being persecuted in Nigeria, insisting that claims of genocide or targeted attacks lack factual basis and credible data.
Bishop Kukah has faced criticism in recent weeks after he reportedly advised the international community against designating Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” warning that such a label could inflame tensions, deepen suspicion, and embolden criminal groups to manipulate religious sentiments, ultimately hindering interfaith cooperation and engagement with government.
Speaking while delivering a paper at the 46th Supreme Convention of the Knights of St. Mulumba (KSM) in Kaduna, Kukah affirmed his alignment with the Vatican Secretary of State, the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, and all Catholic bishops in the country on the issue of alleged Christian killings.
“They say 1,200 churches are burnt in Nigeria every year, and I ask myself, in which Nigeria?” he queried. “Interestingly, nobody consulted the Catholic Church for accurate data. We don’t know where those figures came from. All those talking about persecution, has anyone bothered to ask, ‘Bishop Kukah, what is the situation?’ The data being circulated cleverly avoids the Catholic Church because they know we don’t deal in hearsay.”
“You can kill even 10 million people and it still won’t amount to genocide unless the intention is to eliminate a particular group,” he explained. “So, you determine genocide by intention, not numbers. We must be more clinical and thoughtful in how we discuss these matters.”
Challenging the narrative of Christian persecution, he added:
“If you are a Christian in Nigeria and claim to be persecuted, my question is, how? At least 80 percent of educated Nigerians are Christians, and Christians control as much as 85 percent of the Nigerian economy. With such figures, how can we speak of persecution?”
According to him, many of the challenges Christians face stem from internal divisions rather than external hostility.
“The main problem is that Christians give in to bullies,” he said. “The day we stand together and uphold that an injury to one is an injury to all, these issues will stop.”
Bishop Kukah also cautioned against loosely categorizing all church-related killings as martyrdom.
“If someone is killed in a church, does that automatically make them a martyr? If you are killed while stealing someone’s yam or attacked by bandits, does that qualify as martyrdom? We need deeper reflection,” he said.
He further clarified that his earlier presentation at the Vatican, spanning 1,270 pages, did not support claims of genocide or widespread martyrdom in Nigeria.
“My argument is that such claims are inaccurate and not supported by evidence,” he stressed.
Kukah urged members of the Knights of St. Mulumba to defend the Church through exemplary conduct and personal integrity.
“We are no longer in an era of wielding swords,” he said. “Our calling today is to live as genuine witnesses.”