Matthew Kukah, the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, expressed concern about what he called “relentless daily killings” in Nigeria.
According to reports, the priest issued a warning about the unprecedented scope and pattern of bloodshed in the world.
At the public presentation of Solomon Kumangar’s book, The Man They Could Not Stop, to Governor Ahmadu Fintiri in Yola, Adamawa State, Kukah gave a speech. Kumangar was a former Director-General of Media and Communication.
Nigeria has grown dangerously divided along religious lines, according to Kukah, who bemoaned the country’s high murder rate.
According to Kukah, “What is happening in Nigeria cannot happen in Sudan, Cameroon, Niger, Ghana, or any other country in the world.”
“Ten people are killed on Monday, fifty on Tuesday, one hundred on Wednesday, and the killings continue every week in no other country in the world.” How is a nation like that supposed to progress?
“Religious identities are increasingly becoming the lens through which violence is reported and understood,” he continued.
“Christians and Muslims only die in Nigeria.” The murders along religious lines—20 Christians and 30 Muslims—are being encouraged by the Western media.
Kukah exhorted religious and political leaders to put aside sectarian differences and create organizations that advance harmony, peace, and the advancement of the country.
Additionally, the cleric praised Attahiru Jega, the previous chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, for his intervention during the 2023 Adamawa governorship election issue, calling it crucial to stabilizing the situation.
Former Senate President and former Governor of Kwara State, Bukola Saraki, also spoke at the occasion and urged Nigerians to put leadership and competency above party allegiance.
Saraki added that Governor Fintiri’s infrastructure demonstrated his suitability for leadership and that “the country can only move forward when the right people are given the chance to pilot its affairs.”
Abdullahi Sule, Nasarawa State Governor and the event’s chairman, publicly urged Fintiri to join the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“As our new member, I would give you the APC cap and flag today if I came with it,” Sule declared.
Governor Fintiri recalled the chaos of the 2023 governorship race and referred to himself as “a man of destiny” in his speech.
“There were a lot of pointless attempts to stop me. According to him, the 2023 election was the pinnacle of them and a humiliating one for the state, the country, and democracy everywhere.
He warned that these forces are still at work and accused anonymous political actors of treachery and moral lapse.
This group of political puppeteers and pretenders is still active, moving back and forth between Yola and Abuja, and they are blatantly and dangerously meddling in our democracy. We must oppose them with our ballots, just like we did in 2023.
Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Governors Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) and Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), as well as representatives from Gombe, Borno, Yobe, Taraba, and Plateau states, attended the book launch.
Mustapha Salihu, APC’s Deputy National Vice Chairman (North-East), introduced the book and asked Adamawa citizens to keep funding Fintiri’s development initiatives.
