The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Reverend Matthew Kukah, has raised the alarm over Nigeria’s worsening security crisis, warning that the scale and frequency of killings in the country are unmatched anywhere in the world.
Speaking in Yola, Adamawa State, at the launch of a new book on Governor Ahmadu Fintiri titled The Man They Could Not Stop, Kukah said Nigeria has reached a dangerous point where deaths have become routine and increasingly framed along religious lines.
According to the cleric, no other country experiences the kind of recurring bloodshed now common in Nigeria.
“What is happening in Nigeria cannot happen in Sudan, Cameroon, Niger, Ghana or any other country in the world,” Kukah said. “Only here do we wake up to reports of 10 people killed on Monday, 50 on Tuesday, 100 on Wednesday every single week.”
Kukah expressed concern that religious identity is increasingly attached to death tolls, a trend he blamed partly on Western media reporting.
“Only in Nigeria do people die as Christians and Muslims. The Western media fuels it, 20 Christians killed, 30 Muslims killed,” he said.
He urged political and religious leaders to move beyond rhetoric and focus on building strong institutions capable of uniting Nigerians and restoring peace.
The bishop also praised former INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, for his role in stabilising the 2023 Adamawa governorship crisis, describing the intervention as crucial to preserving democracy.
At the event, former Senate President Bukola Saraki called on Nigerians to prioritise leadership competence over party loyalty.
“Nigeria can only move forward when the right people are allowed to lead,” Saraki said, pointing to Fintiri’s infrastructure projects as evidence of readiness for higher responsibility.
Chairman of the occasion and Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, used the platform to openly court Fintiri to the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the party’s political expansion had reached Adamawa.
“If I had the APC cap and flag here today, I would hand them to you,” Sule said.
Responding, Governor Fintiri described himself as a “man of destiny”, reflecting on the turbulence surrounding the 2023 elections.
He accused unnamed political actors of betrayal and moral compromise, saying the election exposed a group of opportunists who continue to threaten Nigeria’s democracy.
“We must resist them with our votes and unmask them to the world,” Fintiri declared.
The book launch drew a strong political turnout, including governors Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) and Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, and representatives from Gombe, Borno, Yobe, Taraba and Plateau States.
