Most Reverend Dr. Oluwaseun Fagbohun, President of the African Confederation of Old Catholic Churches and Presiding-Bishop of the Old Catholic Apostolic Church Nigeria, has urged Christian leaders of all denominations to speak out against terrorism without fear, political correctness, or compromise, regardless of their ethnicity, region, or religion.
According to Saturday Independent, he also criticized Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Sokoto Diocese, for his recent remarks regarding the purported Christian genocide in Nigeria.
In his New Year’s speech, which was made accessible to reporters, Bishop Fagbohun called out Kukah for what he described as his “unguarded denial of Christian killings in Nigeria.”
He said in the message that Bishop Kukah was aware of the existence and actions of terrorists, bandits, and Boko Haram elements within his episcopal authority, but he had maintained what he called a disturbing quiet.
He is constantly at the Villa, winning, dining with the leaders of our country, and taking pictures here and there. What is he going to say there? Is he saying that he is unaware that the people who are killing Nigerians are based in his jurisdiction? His hypocrisy needs to end. He ought to apologize once more to the people of Nigeria and the rest of the globe.
By “pretending not to be aware” of insurgent actions in areas of Sokoto State, which he claimed were being carried out openly and with impunity, Bishop Kukah failed in his moral and spiritual obligations as a Christian leader.
He also criticized Bishop Kukah for having previously claimed that criminal or rebel groups did not persecute Christians, calling the claim false and at odds with the realities that many Christian communities in Nigeria experienced.
Bishop Fagbohun emphasized that denying such experiences diminishes the suffering of victims and the Church’s moral voice. He claimed that terrorist acts have caused psychological trauma, displacement, loss of life, and destruction of places of worship for a number of Christian families and communities.
During his January 1st New Year’s message to Nigerians, the President of the Old Catholic Churches in Africa reaffirmed his stance that Bishop Kukah’s remarks and apparent inaction had undermined public trust in Christian leadership, especially at a time when religious leaders are expected to speak truth to power and stand firmly with victims of violence.
By acting as though he is unaware that terrorists are working within his jurisdiction, Bishop Kukah has not only compromised the Christian faith but also the nation’s trust, according to Bishop Fagbohun.
He maintained that in order to rebuild trust in his public remarks and moral authority, Bishop Kukah, who is well-known in Nigeria and abroad for his support of social justice and national unity, needs to issue an apology.
His statements are significant on a worldwide scale, yet it is evident from these recent events that he has not been loyal and honest. We can no longer rely on what he says unless he issues an apology. Given that Boko Haram members are purportedly living and operating in his neighborhood, how can he claim ignorance?
He said, “He should stop showing off around the Villa and our National leadership because he concealed the truth that would have prevented Nigerians’ deaths for so long before Mr. President took decisive action to permit their destruction.” I wonder whether he can’t expose our people’s killers because of his PhD in Political Science.
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