Still, he cautioned against oversimplifying the situation, explaining that while Christians are under threat, many moderate Muslims have also become victims of extremist violence.
“The floods of blood in Nigeria have no boundaries. Nigerians are dying for a living,” he said during the October 21 event..
Bishop Kukah blamed the deterioration of interfaith relations on the negligence of successive governments, saying the state’s failure to act has emboldened killers.
“The inability of the federal and state governments to end these killings has created the condition for the genocide that has taken over many communities today,” he said, adding, “We are in the cusp of a weak state with a clear lack of capacity to arrest the descent into anarchy.”
He faulted the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, describing it as “the worst phase in the history of interfaith relations in Nigeria,” alleging that it “gave oxygen to jihadists” by policies that favored Islam and the North.
“Under Buhari, to gain power, it was more important to be a northern Muslim than to be a citizen of Nigeria,” the Nigerian Catholic Bishop said.
Turning to the current government, the 73-year-old Catholic Church leader expressed “cautious hope,” pointing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mixed-faith family and appointments of Christians to key positions as “confidence-building measures.”
“The President being a Muslim and his wife a Pentecostal pastor gives hope,” he said, adding, “Christians have not felt alienated under this administration, and the government has shown empathy by visiting victims and supporting communities affected by violence.”
Citing the Global Terrorism Index Report 2025, Bishop Kukah noted a reported 37% decline in terrorist attacks in Nigeria in 2024 but warned that religious freedom “remains under grave threat,” with discriminatory laws and atrocities continuing across northern states.
Addressing international concerns, Bishop Kukah urged Western nations, particularly the United States, not to redesignate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) for religious persecution—a status it previously held under the Trump administration.
