Most Reverend Matthew Hassan Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, has described Nigeria’s escalating insecurity, governance shortcomings, and identity politics as a “theatre of lies” sustained by denial, mistrust, and systemic hypocrisy. He warns that the nation is rapidly normalizing collective humiliation.
In an exclusive interview on the Frontline program on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese Ijebu, Kukah contended that Nigeria’s crisis is not fundamentally rooted in religion, but in disobedience to moral values, state dysfunction, and the erosion of trust between the government and its citizens.
Drawing from decades of academic experience, he recalled that his doctoral research, later published as *Religion, Politics and Power in Northern Nigeria*, anticipated the perilous intersection between faith and governance.
“Religion comes before politics. The pulpit comes before the political podium. The problem is not religion interfering in politics, but politicians disobeying what they hear in churches and mosques.”
Kukah emphasized that places of worship should serve as “filling stations” for moral values, equipping citizens with the ethics necessary for building a just society. He stated that wherever conflict arises, it stems from citizens abandoning these values once they leave the pulpit.
“Wherever you see conflict, it is a conflict between obedience and disobedience.”
Kaduna Abductions and the Collapse of Credibility
Reacting to the reported abduction of over 170 worshippers in Kaduna State—initially denied by security agencies but later confirmed—Kukah remarked that this incident reveals Nigeria’s fractured crisis management system and a significant credibility gap.
“Something happened. People were abducted in a church. Government preferred denial. The church insisted it happened. That triangle of lies and truth explains why Nigeria is where it is.”
He cautioned that the tendency of security agencies to suppress troubling news to “look good” has exacerbated public distrust.
“You cannot be embarrassed about the injury or death of Nigerian citizens. Covering wounds does not heal them. It only shows in the way you walk.”
Kukah dismissed official pronouncements of “kinetic and non-kinetic strategies” as meaningless jargon, stating that no clear explanation has been provided for these terms, even as kidnappings persist unabated.
“I’m sure I’ll be surprised if somebody doesn’t name their child kinetic. Because everywhere you talk, the security agencies say, oh, we are employing kinetic and non-kinetic methods of… Nobody has explained to us what kinetic and non-kinetic is. But that war has been… Their assumption, of course, is that the distinction between ordinary intelligence, the things people say, is the distinction between the software and the hardware of resolving conflict. But what that tells you is that there is a breakdown of trust.”
“How do you move 170 adults in Nigeria today and say you are looking for them? In the Arizona desert, a rat cannot move without being detected.”
Kukah characterized Nigeria’s plight as globally disgraceful and questioned how mass abductions have become commonplace.
“But I think finally it is to make the point that just yesterday we were talking about Papi, where all these children were kidnapped, were kept somewhere. And then they came out looking as if they had just come back from a camp. They had returned to us. We are all celebrating. That seems to have gone now. The question to ask ourselves is, how is it possible to move a hundred and seventy something adults in a country like Nigeria for goodness sake? How do you explain that? And now we are hypocritically saying we are trying to locate these people. In the Arizona desert in America, a rat, a cat cannot run around without being detected.”
He further questioned, “Name one African country where you say that they kidnapped ten people today, twenty people tomorrow, ten people. What really is going on? And then tomorrow these guys are going to come back and we’ll all break into dance and celebration, rejoicing that only to wait for the next situation. This theater would have been amusing if it weren’t about life and death. So, it’s shameful, it’s disgraceful, it’s embarrassing. No Nigerian, whether in office or out of office, can find an excuse for this collective humiliation. The international community is looking at us. People are reading all these stories on a daily basis. Which country functions like this? Even if we were in an animal kingdom. If you take the child of a lion, can you get away with it? So, how would we be dealing with a situation in which ordinary people, people who have come from the cave, are the ones who are now literally dictating how life should be in Nigeria.”
Bandit Amnesty: Rewarding Criminality
On reports that the Katsina State Government approved the release of suspected bandits as part of a peace initiative, Kukah warned that Nigeria has cultivated a dangerous culture of rewarding criminal behavior.
“This is a country that has become used to rewarding malfeasance. It shows in appointments, elections, and now in security.”
He argued that security strategies across states are disjointed and intellectually weak, lacking a cohesive national framework.
“Rivers cannot be doing one thing and Yobe another. Whatever states are doing must fit into a national architecture. That is not happening.”
Kukah also criticized Nigeria’s deradicalization initiatives, pointing out that many repentant fighters are returned to communities that reject them, which exacerbates instability.
“You cannot pour new wine into old wineskins.”
Drawing comparisons with the Niger Delta amnesty, he cautioned that violence has become a route to wealth, encouraging younger criminals.
“Boys of yesterday are now multi-billionaires. The message is clear: if you fight long enough, you will be rewarded.”
“Stop Nigerians from Dying”
Regarding claims of Christian genocide, Kukah dismissed the focus on terminology, arguing that the fixation with labels diverts attention from the real crisis.
“I am not interested in definitions. Whether you call it genocide, persecution, or mass atrocities, Nigerians are dying. That is what must stop.”
He echoed the Vatican and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria’s stance that security should be regarded as a national issue rather than a religious one.
“I do not want Christians to stop dying while others are dying. Nobody should die because of their religion.”
Kukah warned that the increasing Christian–Muslim dichotomy could lead Nigeria into an irreversible identity trap.
“We are not the only country with Christians and Muslims. Why is it only Nigeria that functions like this?”
Lessons from Rwanda
Citing Rwanda’s post-genocide recovery, Kukah emphasized President Paul Kagame’s decision to abolish ethnic labels as a crucial lesson for Nigeria.
“Kagame said: no more Hutu, no more Tutsi. We are all Rwandans.”
He contended that Nigeria’s elites exploit identity only when it serves their interests, particularly to evade accountability.
“When they are stealing money in Abuja, they are not Christians or Muslims. They are just thieves.”
Kukah provided a blunt assessment of Nigeria’s direction, cautioning against narratives of external salvation.
“I am not interested in America rescuing Christians. I am interested in restoring peace in Nigeria.”
Without honesty, coordination, and moral courage, he asserted that Nigeria risks remaining entrapped in a cycle of violence, denial, and humiliation.
“We have not decided, as a country, how to resolve this issue. Until we do, we are all complicit.”
Disputed Sokoto Airstrikes
Kukah questioned the claims surrounding disputed airstrikes in Sokoto State, cautioning against unverified narratives that could further inflame national tensions.
“I am not saying something happened or didn’t happen. But have we seen the strike? Have we seen the bodies?” he asked, emphasizing that journalism must be based on evidence, not emotion. “Not everybody who claims to wish Nigeria well actually does.”
He stated that Nigeria’s paramount security issue is not a lack of firepower or intelligence, but widespread systemic compromise involving political elites, security agencies, traditional authorities, and even religious leaders.
“Our problem is not lack of capacity. Our problem is serious compromise,” he said. “Some of these people are wearing uniforms. Some are sitting in high places. They are sponsoring this evil, and they can be fished out, no matter the position they hold.”
Kukah was forthright in identifying Northern Nigeria as the epicenter of Nigeria’s security crisis, urging residents to confront uncomfortable truths.
“We must accept that the north is the crime scene. These are our children. They have fathers, mothers, uncles. They are among us,” he said. “Nigeria has become a slaughterhouse, and we are deceiving ourselves if we think this is happening everywhere else.”
Insecurity Rooted in Poverty and Governance Failure, Not Religion
He rejected attempts to frame insecurity purely in religious terms, asserting that banditry and kidnapping stem from poverty, illiteracy, governance failures, and elite exploitation, rather than faith.
“Religion can no longer be the basis for building a nation that is collapsing before our eyes,” Kukah warned. “No kingdom will survive in this world based on religion or ethnicity.”
The bishop condemned the instrumentalization of religion and identity in Nigerian politics, tracing the consequences back to policies of exclusion and domination.
“If you privilege one religion and one region, you create the conditions for extremism,” he said, referring to previous administrations. “That is how Boko Haram was fueled—not by sermons, but by power imbalance.”
Muslim–Muslim Ticket
On Nigeria’s controversial Muslim–Muslim presidential ticket, Kukah asserted that symbolic balance alone cannot rectify the country’s issues, emphasizing that competence and character must take precedence over identity.
“Balance of what?” he asked. “We are balancing corruption. What we need is balance of justice, fairness, and equity.”
While he acknowledged concerns raised by Christians, Kukah pointed out that religious identity has not hindered engagement or inclusion under the current administration.
“Christians did not take to the streets. And in fairness, hands of friendship have been extended,” he said, citing symbolic gestures like presidential conversations with Christian institutions.
Regarding governance, Kukah asserted that Nigeria’s democracy is undermined by poor communication and a lack of measurable outcomes, especially after the removal of the fuel subsidy.
“People were told the journey would be hard, but nobody explained the road map,” he said. “There was food in the market, but no money in people’s pockets.”
He warned that increasing government revenues are meaningless if ordinary Nigerians continue to struggle.
“The basket is full, but the people are not eating,” Kukah said. “Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.”
Addressing the intersection of religion and politics, Kukah defended the presence of politicians in churches but rejected the use of pulpits for political campaigning.
“Once you enter the house of God, you enter as a sinner looking for mercy,” he said. “God does not have governors or presidents.”
He stressed that in the Catholic Church, strict regulations prohibit political endorsements or campaign speeches from the altar.
On restoring trust between citizens and the state, Kukah argued that Nigeria relies too heavily on moral exhortation rather than law enforcement.
“We substitute moral exhortation for law,” he said. “The church cannot do the work of the police or the judiciary.”
He pointed out that Nigeria’s crisis persists because laws are seldom enforced.
“Here, you can break the law and nothing happens. We live under the rule of men, not the rule of law,” Kukah said. “In societies governed by law, you don’t break the law—the law breaks you.”
Foreign Intervention Will Not Save Nigeria
Kukah also dismissed the expectation that foreign powers, especially the United States, will solve Nigeria’s internal issues.
“America has no agenda to save Nigeria,” he stated. “They have their own interests. No country comes into your house and leaves without kicking something.”
He cautioned against what he termed a “crusader mentality” that envisions foreign intervention as a solution to Nigeria’s security issues.
“Christians will not live on another planet,” he said. “This is our country, and we must fix it.”
He urged Nigerians to reject despair, engage power constructively, and continue to demand accountability, even in a deeply flawed system.
“Justice is not given. Justice is fought for,” Kukah concluded. “No Nigerian is too small to seek justice. Don’t give up, no matter how toxic the environment.”
