“I Did Not Say Christians Are Not Persecuted in Nigeria” — Kukah

Catholic Bishop of the Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has firmly denied reports claiming he argued that Christians in Nigeria are not facing persecution, insisting the narrative was built on misrepresentation of his comments.

Kukah said he was stunned that despite what he described as the clarity of his position, some individuals continued to attribute to him a view he never expressed. “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. Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said.

The cleric explained that the reports stemmed from remarks he made while addressing the Catholic Knights of St. Mulumba in Kaduna on November 28. He noted that he was calling for unity and solidarity among Christians, not dismissing the challenges many believers face. “I did not say that Christians are not persecuted in Nigeria,” he stressed. “I had spoken about the challenges of bearing witness to Christ in a time of persecution and drew lessons from the stories of brave men and women who have faced such trials.”

Kukah said earlier reports wrongly quoted him as suggesting that Christians could not claim persecution because of their level of education and influence in the economy. He insisted those interpretations distorted his message. “The outpouring of emotions is understandable, especially against the backdrop of the inviolability of life,” he said. “But nothing in my remarks implied a denial of the fate of Christians.”

He emphasised that the central point of his speech was the need for Christians to leverage their human and material resources to strengthen unity. “I concluded that the greatest challenge for Christians was unity and solidarity. If only we stood together, we would have no reason to be victims of persecution,” he said.

The bishop apologised to those hurt by the controversy, describing the situation as an “unnecessary distraction.” He said, “I am sincerely sorry to be associated with representations that understandably caused pain to so many of my brothers and sisters. The trust invested in me is not something I take lightly.”

Kukah reiterated that he has consistently spoken about the dangers Christians face and the urgent need to end the violence affecting communities across the country. He urged the government and security agencies to fulfil their duty of holding perpetrators accountable. “Too many innocent souls have been lost, too much blood shed, and our citizens remain in captivity,” he said. “We owe ourselves the duty to regain our humanity as equal citizens of our land.”

He called on Nigerians not to lose focus, describing the present moment as too critical for division or hesitation. “This is not the time for us to retreat or be distracted,” he said. “The journey may be painful, but we will reach our destination by learning our lessons, standing up when we stumble, and keeping our eyes on the prize — peace, justice, and reconciliation.”

Kukah reaffirmed his lifelong commitment to advocating for justice and unity, adding, “This is a struggle that I have committed most of my pastoral and intellectual life to. I pray that by clinging to the old rugged cross, we can one day exchange it for a crown.”