The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese and convener of the National Peace Committee (NPC), Most Rev. Matthew Kukah, has rejected claims that Christians are facing genocide in Nigeria, insisting that intent, not casualty figures, determines genocide.
Speaking at the 46th Supreme Convention of the Knights of St. Mulumba (KSM) in Kaduna, Kukah addressed what he described as misinterpretations of his previous statements.
“People say there is genocide in Nigeria. What I presented at the Vatican was a 1,270-page study on genocide in Nigeria and elsewhere. My argument is that it is not accurate to claim there is genocide or martyrdom in Nigeria,” he said.
Kukah cautioned against blanket claims of martyrdom, noting: “Because someone is killed in a church, does that automatically make them a martyr? Whether you are killed while stealing someone’s yam or attacked by bandits, does that qualify as martyrdom? We must think more deeply.”
The cleric aligned himself with the Vatican Secretary of State, the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, and other Catholic leaders in dismissing allegations of systematic persecution of Christians in the country.
Challenging circulating statistics on church attacks, Kukah asked, “They are saying that 1,200 churches are burnt in Nigeria every year, and I ask myself, in which Nigeria? Interestingly, nobody approached the Catholic Church to get accurate data.”
He added that such figures “avoid the Catholic Church because Catholics do not indulge in hearsay.”
Clarifying what constitutes genocide, Kukah stated, “Genocide is not based on the number of people killed. You can kill 10 million people and it still won’t amount to genocide. The critical determinant is intent; whether the aim is to eliminate a group of people.”
He further argued that Christians hold significant influence in Nigeria’s socio-economic and political landscape.
“At least 80% of educated Nigerians are Christians, and up to 85% of the economy is controlled by Christians. With such figures, how can anyone say Christians are being persecuted?”
Kukah also called for unity among Christians to counter discrimination.
“The main problem is that Christians succumb to bullies. The day we decide to stand together, believing that an injury to one is an injury to all, these things will stop,” he said.
Earlier in October, Kukah had urged the United States not to redesignate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over alleged religious freedom violations, warning that such a move could exacerbate tensions and allow criminals to exploit religious sentiments.
Despite his caution, the Trump administration recently redesignated Nigeria as a CPC for the second time, following the initial designation in December 2020.
While acknowledging the reality of violence and attacks targeting religious communities, Kukah emphasized that the situation does not amount to total persecution and called for “vigilance and partnership” from global institutions to support Nigeria’s peacebuilding and interfaith dialogue efforts under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
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