Matthew Hassan Kukah, Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, has said President Muhammadu Buhari cannot be wishing Christians Merry Christmas when Christians in the northern part of Nigeria are living in fear under his watch.
Speaking in an interview with Arise Television on Monday, the Catholic cleric condemned incessant attacks on Christians by Islam extremists in the North.
Responding to the development on the trial of the killers of Deborah Samuel, a student murdered and set ablaze by a jihadist in Sokoto over a blasphemous claim, Kukah said, “The governor (Aminu Tambuwal) simply announced that these people who did this were going to be tried. How could that provoke young people to go and start destroying the properties of Christians? These things were done openly.”
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Kukah added, “When a president (Muhammadu Buhari) wants to wish me happy Christmas, I need to hear him say nobody should lose their lives because somebody stands up somewhere and says he wants to defend his religion. Christians have remained vulnerable. Their businesses remain objects of target practice.”
The cleric lamented the fact that Muslim youths are protesting against the arrest of Deborah’s killers, attacking his diocese and destroying properties.
“So when people tell me we are wishing you (a) happy Christmas, we need you to walk the talk. Christians living in northern Nigeria are living in fear despite our massive contribution to economic well-being and (and we’re) law-abiding because we don’t know what will happen next,” Kukah said.
He further lamented that “I’m sitting here in Sokoto. My parishioners are moving out in droves. Everyone is tired.”
