Bishop in Nigeria Advocates for “culture of a strong legal basis” to Address Extremism

He appealed to faith leaders to be prophetic and reach out to their respective governments to adhere to legal frameworks, saying, “Religious leaders of the faith being used must put pressure on their states to follow the rule of law and not be afraid of being targeted by extremists.”

“Silence in this case is taken for approval, whether intended or not,” the 70-year-old Catholic Bishop who has been at the helm of Sokoto Diocese since his Episcopal Ordination in September 2011 said.

The G20 Religion Forum was hosted by Indonesia's Nahdlatul Ulama political party, which represents 120 million "moderate" Muslims, or roughly 40% of the country's 231 million Muslims, according to a press release.

The conference was convened to “prevent the weaponization of identity” and “curtail the spread of communal hatred,” according to its stated goals.

In his November 3 address, Bishop Kukah said, “It is clear to us now that we are all at risk from the hands of these terrorists who use ethnicity or religion to destroy humanity.”

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“Whether they are Boko Haram, ISIS, or other ethnically or racially based groups, we must all stand together to insist that injury to one is injury to all,” he said, and added, “We must all accept that we are all citizens of one human nation, that no religion or ethnic group is superior to the other.”

The Catholic Bishop who was appointed as a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development in January 2021 advocated for formal education. He said a “comprehensive, integrated programme of education remains the cure for extremism.”

“It is not enough for leaders of faith to continue to engage in mere moral rhetoric or meaningless dialogue designed to appease donors while leaving our people as victims,” Bishop Kukah said. 

He continued, “As I have seen in Nigeria and elsewhere, the first victims of religiously inspired violence by extremists is always their own people. In today’s world, these victims are so often Muslims.”

“In Northern Nigeria, majority of those who have died in the hands of Boko Haram, ISWAP, bandits or kidnappers have been Muslims. In the ISIS war in Iraq, the majority of victims were Muslims,” he further said, adding, “This should sound the alarm that it is not about just religion but about our common humanity.”

“We must admit that even if mass killings of people of faith may not be an overt state policy, still, we cannot ignore situations where there are people in the highest levels of government whose inaction and impunity clearly align with genocidal intentions,” he said.

The Nigerian Bishop known for being vocal about good governance in his native country called for the development of “a coherent programme of lessons and agreed principles that we can learn and accept from one another. This cancer of the weaponization of religion threatens us all.” 

“Religious bodies, in collaboration with civil society must work together to ensure a fairer world for all,” he said.

The Catholic Church leader went on to caution religious leaders against “the manipulation of identities”, encouraging them, instead, to promote “areas of integration through education, common citizenship, intermarriages and other platforms of social cohesion anticipated and enshrined in our Constitutions.”

“There is no problem between Christians and Muslims,” Bishop Kukah said, and added, “There is a problem between irresponsible leaders who don’t want to govern properly; irresponsible Christian religious leaders who have now seen religion as a tool of oppression instead of a tool for liberation.” 

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In his November 3 address, the Catholic Bishop went on to commended the organizers of the forum for “taking the historic step to address these issues directly.”

He also recalled recent acts of violence committed by Muslim extremists in his Episcopal See, including the abductions of Priests and the case of Deborah Samuel, a Christian student who, on May 13, was accused of blasphemy and stoned to death by a mob of Muslim students.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.