The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah has told the US Congress that a religious war against Christians, has been going on in the country for years particularly in the North, but has worsen since Buhari came to power.
Kukah who disclosed this at a virtual presentation with the US Congress in Washington on the persecution of Christians in Nigeria by Islamic extremist groups in the Northern Region of Nigeria, said the Buhari administration has failed to protect victims of attacks, yet strip them of any means of self defense, whilst the attackers not only have access to arms, but also go about wrecking havoc at will.
He also claimed that extremists, bandits, Fulani herdsmen, and Boko Haram were targeting many schools in the North especially, Christian ones and are “indoctrinating the children. They end up converting these children to wives, cooks, spies, sexual slaves, and so on,” the Bishop said.
The Bishop also complained to Congress that President Buhari is deliberately appointing people of his ethnic group and religion into key political positions.
“In 2020, they killed some of our Priests in the North. They kidnapped our children and forced them to denounce Christianity for Islam. We have issued statements and called the attention of the government to our plight but you see, we have weak institutions.
“The whole of the North is being invaded by armed bandits that are launching attacks at will. The President has shown nepotism in his appointments as he is appointing only people that share the same religion with him into key political offices like the security Chiefs.
“For the first time in Nigeria, the first three persons: the President, the Senate President, and the Speaker of the House of Representative are all Muslims.
“This has never happened before. So, we require practical and measuring assistance that can help us and our children,” the cleric cried out.
Kukah had in his Easter sermon earlier this year, accused the Buhari government of spending billions to care for those terrorizing Nigerians, while the victims of terror are left to grieve their loss alone and with nothing.
Speaking in his sermon titled “Nigeria: Before our glory departs,” Kukah said the Buhari administration has shown that crime pays, yet wants victims of crimes to be patriotic. He warned that unless victims of crimes are prioritized by government, Nigeria will never heal.
He said, “It is a Mystery, that the (Buhari) government is investing billions of naira in rehabilitating so-called Boko Haram repentant members and their other partners in crime in the belief that they want to turn a new leaf. These criminals have waged war against their country, murdered thousands of citizens, destroyed infrastructure and rendered entire families permanently displaced and dislocated. Why should rehabilitating the perpetrator be more important than bringing succour to the victims?
“When kidnapped or killed, victims and their families are left to their wits. They cry alone, bury their loved ones alone. And our government expects us to be patriotic? The victims of violence need empathy, which the dictionary defines as the ability to understand and share the feelings of the other. A critical deficit of empathy on the side of the government makes healing almost impossible for the victims. We have not heard anything about a rehabilitation programme for the thousands of schoolchildren who have been victims of abduction."