Bishop: Nigerians suffer more from military than from Boko Haram

October 26, 2012

A Nigerian prelate has told Vatican Radio that “ordinary people are saying we are actually suffering more from the military than from Boko Haram,” the Islamist terrorist organization.

Media coverage of Nigerian violence overemphasizes “our identities as Muslims and as Catholics,” said Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto, the northwestern Nigerian city that is home to the spiritual leader of Nigeria’s Muslims. “The Nigerian political class has hidden its incompetence by simply presenting the problem as a law and order issue; it’s not.”

Referring to “monumental corruption” in the nation, Bishop Kukah added that the military has “become like an army of occupation,” that “politics in Nigeria is almost like armed banditry,” and that “a climate of impunity has become so predominant.”

 

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Further information:

• Bishop Kukah: Politics in Nigeria is almost like armed banditry (Vatican Radio)