The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese and Convener of the National Peace Committee (NPC), Most Rev. Matthew Kukah, has insisted that there is no persecution of Christians in Nigeria, stressing that genocide is determined not by the number of casualties but by intent.
Bishop Kukah recently came under criticism after being quoted as urging the international community not to designate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” arguing that such a label would heighten tensions, breed suspicion, and allow criminals to exploit the situation—ultimately undermining interfaith dialogue and cooperation with government.
Speaking while presenting a paper at the 46th Supreme Convention of the Knights of St. Mulumba (KSM) in Kaduna, he stated that on the issue of alleged Christian killings in Nigeria, he aligns fully with the Vatican Secretary of State, the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, and all Catholic bishops in the country.
He said: “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. We do not know where these figures came from. All those talking about persecution—has anyone ever called to ask, ‘Bishop Kukah, what is the situation?’ The data being circulated cleverly avoids the Catholic Church because they know Catholics do not indulge in hearsay.”
Explaining the misuse of the word genocide, he noted: “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. So, you don’t determine genocide by numbers; you determine it by intention. We need to be more clinical in the issues we discuss.”
He further challenged the narrative of Christian persecution in the country: “If you are a Christian in Nigeria and you say you are persecuted, my question is: how? At least 80% of educated Nigerians are Christians, and up to 85% of the Nigerian economy is controlled by Christians. With such figures, how can anyone say Christians are being persecuted?”
Bishop Kukah attributed many challenges faced by Christians to internal disunity, saying: “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 also criticized loose claims of martyrdom: “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? I am worried because we must think more deeply.”
Clarifying misconceptions about his earlier remarks, he added: “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.”
