It is Genocide Indeed, Nigerian Bishop Says of Increased Killings

In the interview shared by ACN on Friday, August 7, Bishop Kukah said that it was no longer a secret that Nigeria was “a largely failed state.”

“There is no dispute at all, that Nigeria is a largely failed state,” the Nigerian Bishop said, and added, “It has been an old secret. It has failed its people but the oil companies are still making a kill on the carcass.”

He also told ACN that Nigeria was an epicenter of terrorism in the region, saying, “The evidence is there for all to see.”

“There are multiple levels of funding and, with time, terrorism has been able to fund itself by criminality, violence, kidnappings and it is feared that government may be funding these groups inadvertently largely because they have penetrated the security agencies,” Bishop Kukah said.

He added, “Governments have also paid huge sums of money for ransom and also ostensibly placate the terrorists, rescue kidnapped citizens, and so on.”

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The Local Ordinary of Sokoto Diocese further said that the inefficiency of the military in Nigeria had made the terrorists bolder and that there were also issues of complicity at various levels of the military.

Bishop Kukah criticized Western powers that have not lived up to their “promises” to help Nigeria saying, “We hear promises from the United States and Europe and they all come to nothing.”

His remarks echoed the findings of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Freedom of Religion and Belief dubbed, “Nigeria: Unfolding Genocide?” which was released in June.

The report warns of the risk of an unfolding genocide and calls for UK aid to be linked to efforts to protect Nigerian villagers from attacks by Islamist extremists.

The report argues that in killing and driving out Christian villagers, the Fulani militants, wittingly or unwittingly, are serving the same agenda as Boko Haram. The stated aim of the terrorist group Boko Haram is to turn Nigeria into an Islamist state. Its spokesman has declared: ‘This war is against Christians.’

Bishop Kukah’s sentiments also come days after members of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) issued a statement, calling on the government to prioritize the security of its citizens following a series of killings of innocent people in the country.

“We condemn the carnage on human life especially the recent killings of 76 people in Sabon Birni Local Government of Sokoto State; RuwanTofa Dansadua district in Zamfara State; Zangon Kataf Local Government Area in Kaduna State; Bethel Baptist Church Aguda-Dauruwan Kogi State and the attack on the convoy of the Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum at Baga,” the religious leaders said in their August 4 statement that was seen by ACI Africa.

The Council members also urged all levels of the Nigerian Government to “double up their efforts of securing the lives and property of the citizens.”

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.