Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah

Muslims in Sokoto have drawn a line in the sand with Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah whose area of jurisdiction is in the state. This is as result of what they saw as the critical position of the cleric in recent times.

Operating under the Muslim Solidarity Forum (MSF), the group, on Tuesday, asked Kukah to “quickly and quietly leave” Sokoto, the seat of the caliphate.

Accroding to the Acting Chairman of the forum, Prof. Isah  Maishanu: “Kukah who lives peacefully and happily at the centre of the seat of the caliphate for almost a decade now, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the city that is founded on the teachings of Islam and benefitting from the goodwill of Muslim leaders right from childhood and up to this moment could not see anything good to appreciate in his Muslim hosts or their religion, to disparage them.

“Rather, he is always using provocative and uncouth language. His callous statements and acts of hatred is unbecoming of someone who parades himself a secretary to the National Peace Committee and a member of Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC).

“We  therefore  call on Kukah to immediately stop his malicious vituperations against Islam and  Muslims and tender an unreserved apology to the Muslim ummah or else, quickly and quietly leave the seat of the Caliphate, as he is trying t break the age-long peaceful coexistence between the predominantly Muslim population and their Christian guests.”

“ We call on him to act as Bible commands’ seek ye truth and it shall set you free’, by embracing the pristine monotheistic teachings of Jesus, son of Maryas, finally revealed by Allah the Almighty Lord, through the last Prophet  ,Muhammad.”

Trouble started when Kukah, in December 2020, as The Nation reported, issued a statement accusing President Muhammadu Buhari of not living up to expectation due to mounting economic and security challenges confronting the nation and that he was “institutionalising northern hegemony against national interests.”

However, Kukah has defended himself. As The Nation quoted him: “The cleric, who later said he was misquoted in the portion of the message about coup, maintained that that  “he is more interested in how religion can be used to foster unity.”

Kukah went further: “The Secretary-General has accused me of being an enemy of his religion, Islam. He accused me of what he calls, firing an arrow at the heart of Islam and Muslims in Nigeria. He says I have been accorded respect and accommodated in Sokoto and I have turned around to bite a finger that has fed me.

“He poses a question: How can Muslims continue to be hospitable to one who proves to be an ingrate many times over? How can Muslims be comfortable in associating with a bitterly vindictive person disguised in the garb of a religious cleric?

“I can only take this statement from the secretary-general of JNI as a clear case of incitement to violence against me.”