Sokoto, 07 August, 2020 / 11:37 pm (ACI Africa).
A Catholic Bishop in Nigeria’s Diocese of Sokoto has likened the increased killings of Nigerian Christians by Fulani herdsmen who also target Muslims in the west African country to genocide, a statement that concurs with a recently published report in the United Kingdom (UK) that suggests unfolding genocide in Nigeria.
In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop Matthew Kukah who was asked whether he agreed that the Fulani killings of Christians can be categorized as genocide according to international law said, “I believe so.”
The Catholic aid organization engaged the Prelate on the execution of five aid workers by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) towards the end of July.
A media report indicated that the humanitarian workers of Action Against Hunger (ACF) were taken hostage by the armed group in Borno State, northeast Nigeria, on June 8 before a video of their execution surfaced nearly two months later.
Bishop Kukah told ACN that Christians were not the main target of the insurgent group members that were also killing Muslims. Additionally, the militants were in the predominantly Muslim north in states such as Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara.