Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has warned Nigerians about some forces he described as angels of death whom, he said, were operating in the country.
This is as he warned warned that unless Nigeria urgently confronted religious extremism and political intolerance, it could descend into a Gaza-like situation marked by endless violence and despair.
Kukah noted these when he delivered a keynote lecture titled ‘Nigeria: Time to Reload’ at the 60th birthday celebration of journalist and former presidential spokesperson, Dr. Reuben Abati, at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Friday, Bishop Kukah painted a sobering picture of a country at war with itself, fractured along religious, ethnic and moral lines.
He said: “To reload our politics, Nigeria needs to rethink how to rescue our country from the clutches of the dark forces of all forms of extremist ideologies. If Nigeria does not confront the demon of weaponised religion, we may have no country because those who weaponise religion are a greater danger to the religion itself.
“Nigeria must be a country of one people under one law. To this end, I again appeal to the President. He went to court to cure the injustice that has encouraged corruption in regards to the funds of Local Government Councils. He should go to the Supreme Court to seek a proper interpretation of the implications of the adoption of Sharia Courts in the 12 northern states. Victims of the manipulation of religion constitute over 90 percent of believers.
“The encircling steps of the angels of death and doom are here. We have been calling and crying for years. Northern Christians raised these issues before independence, but political expediency by the British colonial state denied them fair hearing. Now, this demon has come back to haunt us.
“So, thank you, President Trump for the blowout and throwing an unexploded hand grenade our way. I hope we have a chance to act before it explodes. All Nigerians must walk tall and confident through the length and breadth of this great land.”
Kukah argued that the survival of the Nigerian state now depends on restoring moral balance and national identity, away from ethnic rivalry and religious manipulation.
“Our insecurity is the result of our lack of unity and faith, which have made peace and progress impossible,” he said.
