Kukah To US: Nigeria’s Insecurity Is Compounded By Buhari’s Nepotism, Indecisiveness

Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Most Revd Matthew Kukah, on
Wednesday, said the Federal Government has failed to handle the
issue of security which it promised to do before taking over
power.

He said this during his virtual presentation to the Tom Lantos
Human Rights Commission in Washington, DC, on the persecution of
Christians in Nigeria by armed extremist groups in the North.

Kukah said the people are yet to see any tangible move towards
tackling Nigeria’s insecurity which, according to him, has a
religious undertone.

He stated that the people were agitated, adding that there was
palpable fear and tension across the country.

The clergy, in his testimony before the US Congress Commission,
claimed religious violence against Christians in Nigeria was a
recurring experience of many years, but the spate of the attacks
has risen steadily in the last 10 years.

According to Bishop Kukah, the extremists target mainly
Christian schools in the North, “indoctrinate the children and end
up converting the girls to wives, cooks, spies, sexual slaves and
so on.

“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 the faith they believe in.”

According to Bishop Kukah, “Last year, 2020, some of our Priests
in the North were killed. The extremists kidnapped our children and
forcefully converted them to Muslims.

“We have issued statements and called the attention of the
government to our plight. We have also reached out to let the
government know that we are willing to cooperate towards the
greatness of our country.”

The Bishop, who is the Secretary of the National Peace
Committee, accused President Muhammadu Buhari of deliberately
appointing more people of his ethnicity and faith into political
offices.

He 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.

“And the contradiction here is that the President has blatantly
pursued nepotistic and policies that show very clearly his
preferences for men and women of his faith.”

The Bishop of Sokoto Diocese also said “for the first time in
Nigeria the people heading three arms of government; the President,
Senate President Speaker, and Chief Justice are all Muslims. These
are all fine gentlemen, but that is not the point. The level of
between Christians and Muslims has been exacerbated. This kind of
situation has never happened before.

“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.”

Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Most Revd Matthew Kukah, on
Wednesday, said the Federal Government has failed to handle the
issue of security which it promised to do before taking over
power.

He said this during his virtual presentation to the Tom Lantos
Human Rights Commission in Washington, DC, on the persecution of
Christians in Nigeria by armed extremist groups in the North.

Kukah said the people are yet to see any tangible move towards
tackling Nigeria’s insecurity which, according to him, has a
religious undertone.

He stated that the people were agitated, adding that there was
palpable fear and tension across the country.

The clergy, in his testimony before the US Congress Commission,
claimed religious violence against Christians in Nigeria was a
recurring experience of many years, but the spate of the attacks
has risen steadily in the last 10 years.

According to Bishop Kukah, the extremists target mainly
Christian schools in the North, “indoctrinate the children and end
up converting the girls to wives, cooks, spies, sexual slaves and
so on.

“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 the faith they believe in.”

According to Bishop Kukah, “Last year, 2020, some of our Priests
in the North were killed. The extremists kidnapped our children and
forcefully converted them to Muslims.

“We have issued statements and called the attention of the
government to our plight. We have also reached out to let the
government know that we are willing to cooperate towards the
greatness of our country.”

The Bishop, who is the Secretary of the National Peace
Committee, accused President Muhammadu Buhari of deliberately
appointing more people of his ethnicity and faith into political
offices.

He 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.

“And the contradiction here is that the President has blatantly
pursued nepotistic and policies that show very clearly his
preferences for men and women of his faith.”

The Bishop of Sokoto Diocese also said “for the first time in
Nigeria the people heading three arms of government; the President,
Senate President Speaker, and Chief Justice are all Muslims. These
are all fine gentlemen, but that is not the point. The level of
between Christians and Muslims has been exacerbated. This kind of
situation has never happened before.

“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.”