Bishop Matthew Kukah of Sokoto diocese, has denied reports claiming he said Christians are not persecuted in Nigeria.
In a statement titled “Of the Persecution of Christians in Nigeria: My Response”, Kukah said he was baffled by attempts to attribute to him a position he never held.
He said: “I am baffled that despite the clarity of my position, there appear to be determined efforts to ascribe to me a position as saying that there is no persecution of Christians in Nigeria.”
Reacting to media reports that quoted him as questioning the narrative of persecution, Kukah said his remarks were misrepresented.
The Catholic Bishop said: “So, for the record, I did not say that Christians are not persecuted in Nigeria!”
Kukah said he had addressed members of the Catholic Knights of St. Mulumba in Kaduna on November 28, where he spoke about “the challenges of bearing witness to Christ in a time of persecution”.
He said he only urged Christians in Nigeria to embrace unity and solidarity.
He said: “I concluded that the greatest challenge for Christians was unity and solidarity.”
Kukah apologised for the pain the reports may have caused.
He said: “First, let me say how sincerely sorry I am to be associated with representations that understandably are a source of great pain and mental anguish to so many of my brothers and sisters within the body of Christ.”
The cleric said he had consistently spoken against killings and bloodshed in the country, adding that government and security agencies have “an urgent responsibility to bring the perpetrators to account”.
Kukah added: “Too many innocent souls have been lost, too much blood shed and our children and citizens are in captivity. Nothing here implied a denial of the fate of Christians.”
U want to b politically correct. Since u are in sokoto and being patronized by d califate, u haven’t been able to call a spade a spade. U don’t want to offend ur patrons that’s y u are denying Christian genocide.