Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Mathew Hassan Kukah says Katsina-born Buhari from northern Nigeria and his government must move quickly “before our beloved Arewa descends into Arewanistan!”

This was the crux of his 2021 Christmas day message titled ‘A NATION STILL IN SEARCH OF TRUTH & VINDICATION”.

The cleric’s mention of “Arewanistan” is a pointer to Nigerians of Afghanistan’s takeover in August 2021 by an Islamic militant group known as the Taliban following the withdrawal of American forces. The take-over of the war-torn country by the Taliban fighters led the Afghanistan civilian President Ashraf Ghani to abscond the presidential palace.

According to Kukah, “At about this time last year when I raised the alarm about the perilous state of affairs in northern Nigeria, all kinds of accusations were levelled against me especially by my northern brethren.

“When the Catholic Bishops protested openly against the killings of our people in March 2020, we were accused of acting against government with religious motives being imputed to our noble intentions. Now, we are fully in the grip of evil.

“Today, a feeling of vindication only saddens me as I have watched the north break into a cacophony of quarrelsome blame games over our tragic situation.

“A catalogue of unprecedented cruelty has been unleashed on innocent citizens across the northern states.

“In their sleep, on their farmlands, in their markets, or even on the highway, innocent citizens have been mowed down and turned into burnt offerings to gods of evil.

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“Communities have been turned into gulags of misery, death, pain and perfidy. We must move quickly before Arewa, our beloved Arewa, descends into Arewanistan!”

“Tales and promises about planned rescues have since deteriorated into mere whispers. Nothing expresses the powerlessness of the families like the silence of state at the federal level.

“Today, after over seven years, our over one hundred Chibok Girls are still marooned in the ocean of uncertainty.

“Over three years after, Leah Sharibu is still unaccounted for. Students of the Federal Government College, Yauri, and children from Islamiyya School, Katsina, are still in captivity. This does not include hundreds of other children whose captures were less dramatic.

“We also have lost count of hundreds of individuals and families who have been kidnapped and live below the radar of publicity. We have before us a government totally oblivious to the cherished values of the sacredness of life.

“The silence of the federal government only feeds the ugly beast of complicity in the deeds of these evil people who have suspended the future of entire generations of our children. Every day, we hear of failure of intelligence, yet, those experts who provide intelligence claim that they have always done their duty diligently and efficiently.

“Does the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria not believe that he owes parents and citizens answers as to where our children are and when they are coming home?

“Does the President of Nigeria not owe us an explanation and answers as to when the abductions, kidnappings, brutality, senseless, and endless massacres of our citizens will end? When will our refugees from Cameroon, Chad or Niger return home? We need urgent answers to these questions”.

Though Bishop Kukah praised the security agencies for their efforts, he, however, called on the President and the Governors to develop a more honest, open and robust strategy for ending the humiliation of the people and restoring social order.

“We have borne enough humiliation as communities and a country”, the cleric reiterated.

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