ABUJA JANUARY 17, 2017(CISA) – Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto has warned against killings and other vices committed in the name of religious affiliations in the country.
“We have a feeling that somehow, people can genuinely kill in the name of religion. I think that unless Nigeria as a country is prepared to make laws and ensure that all citizens live by same and be answerable by the same law, what we are witnessing is a symptom, not the disease. The creeping inequalities, the inability of this system to deliver has made us uncomfortable,” said Bishop Kukah.
Speaking at the launch of a book, “Religion and the Making of Nigeria” by Prof Ayo Vaughan in Abuja, January 13, he urged the government to take necessary actions against those spreading religious hatred in the country.
He further called on the government to “separate religion from politics and economics and let everybody make his claims.”
According to Nigeria’s This Day Newspaper, the Catholic bishop also warned against constant religious killings in the North.
“Unless we get round to defining what constitutes religion and in this particular case, the way and manner in which the northern ruling class continues to use religion as a cover to perpetuate and subjugate the people, the problem will persist,” said Bishop Kukah.
He noted that most of the killings in the area “have often been associated with religion as a result of theological differences or disputation and must stop immediately”
“As a Nigerian and a citizen, I have always been an incurable optimist. But I have never been as unsure about the future of this country as I am now. People say they are killing for religion, but intentions are not enough. As it is, we may never be able to prosecute anybody because we have not been able to separate criminality from religion,” said Bishop Kukah.
