{"id":888817,"date":"2026-01-30T00:27:53","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T06:27:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/30\/bishop-kukah-refutes-claims-on-denial-of-christian-persecution\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T00:27:53","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T06:27:53","slug":"bishop-kukah-refutes-claims-on-denial-of-christian-persecution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/30\/bishop-kukah-refutes-claims-on-denial-of-christian-persecution\/","title":{"rendered":"Bishop Kukah refutes claims on denial of Christian persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has rejected suggestions that he dismissed the reality of Christian persecution in Nigeria, stressing that his comments were misrepresented and taken out of context.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the radio programme Boiling Point on Sunday, Kukah said he was surprised by reports claiming he denied the existence of persecution or genocide against Christians. \u201cIt shocked me that Christians were going around saying that I said there is no persecution of Christians in Nigeria. The only clarification I can give is that I\u2019ve never denied that there is persecution of Christians in Nigeria,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

He noted that the misunderstanding stemmed from differences in language used in global reports compared to local discussions. Recalling a lecture he delivered in Rome, Kukah said: \u201cWe may be victims of language. Whether it\u2019s persecution, whether it\u2019s genocide, by God, this thing ought not to have happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bishop emphasised that insecurity affects all Nigerians, regardless of religion. \u201cIn my central argument about security in Nigeria, it doesn\u2019t matter where you are, whether you are Muslim, whether you are Christian, you are in danger of being abducted,\u201d he said. He urged Christians to show compassion beyond their own community: \u201cThe day our grief or our concern is only for ourselves, that day we cease to be Christians.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ ALSO: EFCC chairman Olukoyede rejects corruption allegations<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Kukah also called for urgent reforms, arguing that Nigeria\u2019s problems are rooted in indiscipline, irresponsibility, and citizens\u2019 failure to hold leaders accountable. \u201cWe have been a troubled country, but a country of great promise. Terrible mistakes have been made; we ought not to be where we are,\u201d he said, adding that corruption and disregard for due process are widespread among both politicians and ordinary citizens.<\/p>\n

He criticised voter apathy and the lack of civic engagement, warning: \u201cIf you don\u2019t care about government, the government will not care about you. People are dying, but people are partying. We must learn a culture of protest and the sacrifice that comes with it, not lamentation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Highlighting the need for discipline and adherence to faith-based principles, Kukah said: \u201cThe day we decide to live by the dictates of our faith, this country will be completely different.\u201d He praised the late Tanzanian leader Julius Nyerere for instilling dignity and self-worth in his people, contrasting this with Nigeria\u2019s struggles.<\/p>\n

On President Bola Tinubu\u2019s administration, Kukah expressed concern over persistent insecurity and hunger. \u201cOur inability to rid ourselves of banditry and insecurity must be taken seriously. We need timelines to address this issue,\u201d he said. He urged authorities to end internally displaced persons\u2019 camps and criticised the lack of ambassadorial appointments despite the president\u2019s foreign trips.<\/p>\n

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Mayowa Oladeji
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has rejected suggestions that he dismissed the reality of Christian persecution in Nigeria, stressing that his comments were misrepresented and taken out of context. Speaking on the radio programme Boiling Point on Sunday, Kukah said he was surprised by reports claiming he denied the existence of persecution or<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":888818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28164,122295],"tags":[12697,122294],"class_list":["post-888817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bishop","category-kukah","tag-bishop","tag-kukah"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/888817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=888817"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/888817\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/888818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=888817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=888817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=888817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}