Kukah Laments Nigeria’s Endless Bloodshed, Says Nation Faces a Crisis Unknown Elsewhere

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Most Reverend Matthew Kukah, has raised a fresh alarm over Nigeria’s worsening security situation, declaring that the scale and frequency of killings across the country are without parallel anywhere in the world.

Kukah made the remarks in Yola, Adamawa State, during the presentation of a book on Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, titled The Man They Could Not Stop, written by his former Director-General of Media and Communication, Solomon Kumangar. According to the cleric, Nigeria’s deepening divisions, particularly along religious lines, have fuelled violence and undermined national cohesion.

“What is happening in Nigeria cannot happen in Sudan, Cameroon, Niger, Ghana, or any other country in the world,” Kukah said. “There is no other country in the world that 10 people are killed on Monday, 50 on Tuesday, 100 on Wednesday, and the killings go on every week. How can such a country move forward?”

He argued that the tragedy is compounded by narratives that frame the violence strictly in religious terms, further inflaming tensions across communities.

“Only in Nigeria do people die as Christians and Muslims. The Western media is fuelling the killings along religious lines — 20 Christians killed, 30 Muslims killed,” he said.

Kukah urged political and religious leaders to rise above divisions and focus on building strong institutions capable of uniting Nigerians, stressing that peace and development cannot thrive in an atmosphere of fear and distrust.

At the same event, the bishop commended former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), **Prof. Attahiru Jega**, for his role in helping to resolve the 2023 governorship crisis in Adamawa State, describing the intervention as timely and stabilising.

Also speaking, former Senate President and ex-Governor of Kwara State, **Bukola Saraki**, challenged Nigerians to look beyond party labels and focus on leadership competence when making political choices.

“The country can only move forward when the right people are given the chance to pilot its affairs,” Saraki said, adding that Governor Fintiri’s record in infrastructure development demonstrated readiness for leadership.

Chairman of the occasion and Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, used the platform to openly court Fintiri into the All Progressives Congress (APC), noting the party’s growing influence across states.

“If I come with the APC cap and flag, I would hand it to you today as our new member,” he said.

In his response, Governor Fintiri described himself as a “man of destiny” and reflected extensively on the turbulence surrounding the 2023 elections in the state.

“There were numerous futile shots at stopping me. The 2023 election was just the height of them, and an embarrassing one, not only to the state but to the nation and to democracy globally. In 2023, we saw treachery; we saw assault; we saw the moral compromise of a bankrupt elite masked as patriots. But most importantly, we saw support and resilience of the true Adamawa people and friendships that go beyond the state,” he said.

Fintiri further accused a section of the political class of hypocrisy and desperation, warning that such elements remain a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.

“If 2023 had not happened, I wouldn’t have known some people for who they are: pretentious, greedy, opportunistic, and desperate, yet crying the victim and still claiming democratic credentials they are distant from. The sad news is that this clique of pretenders and political puppeteers are still around, shuttling between Yola and Abuja, shamelessly and dangerously hovering around our democracy. We must, as we did in 2023, resist them with our votes and unmask them to the world,” he said.

The book launch attracted a high-profile audience, including the governors of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, and Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, as well as representatives from Gombe, Borno, Yobe, Taraba and Plateau states.

Unveiling the book, the Deputy National Vice Chairman (North-East) of the APC, Mustapha Salihu, called on residents of Adamawa State to sustain their support for Governor Fintiri’s development agenda, noting that continuity was key to consolidating progress in the state.