Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, has been tackled over his “shifting position on the alleged persecutions of Christians in Nigeria.”

In a statement issued in Abuja, a civil rights activist, Dr. Thompson Udenwa, faulted Kukah’s “sudden change of tone,” recalling that only a few years ago, the outspoken cleric had been at the forefront of those urging the United States Government to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) due to widespread attacks on Christian communities, church burnings, and targeted killings in parts of the North and Middle Belt.

Udenwa, however, stated that the cleric’s new posture is reflective of the inconsistency that should not be seen in political and religious leaders.

The activist, in the statement, queried why the same bishop, who in 2021 addressed the American Congress where he lamented the Buhari administration’s alleged indifference to Christian persecution, would now advocate against the very measure he once described as “moral justice.”
According to him, such inconsistency weakens the credibility of religious advocacy and suggests that Bishop Kukah’s views are influenced more by personal or political sentiments than by principle.  He said, “While I distance myself from the political undercurrents in the ongoing debate, I find Bishop Kukah’s recent statement troubling.

“Not long ago, he stood as one of the loudest voices calling for international recognition of the persecution of Christians in Nigeria. Today, he appears to have retreated from that conviction.”

He further noted that Bishop Kukah’s latest comments came during the launch of the Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) 2025 World Report on Religious Freedom held at the Augustinianum Hall, Vatican City, on October 21, 2025, where he acknowledged Nigeria’s deep-seated security and governance challenges but urged the international community not to punish the country through sanctions or diplomatic isolation.