Nigerians divided as calls for the arrest of Kukah intensify
Pascal Oparada
Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah is under fire over his Christmas day message.
He is being accused of instigating a regime change. His message which rattled supporters of Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, has set tongues wagging with calls for the arrest of the clergyman growing in several quarters.
The Arewa Consultative Forum asked for Kuka to be arrested over incitement.
The group described Kukah’s statement as unguarded and an open incitement to military coup and insurrection against the democratically elected government of Muhammadu Buhari.
In a statement signed by its National President, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, on Monday, AYCF condemned “Kukah’s use of nepotism as a weapon of calumny against the government and people of Nigeria.”
It also called on the Federal government to place Kukah on a special watch list for attempts to “set the South against the North in order to destabilize our country and further complicate matters.”
In the statement Shettima, also took exception to what he described as “Kukah’s latest role in devil’s advocacy, as the North struggles to restore peace and enduring security in the region and indeed Nigeria.”
This is apart from individuals who see his message as trying to incite Nigerians against each other.
Social media users in the country are divided over Kukah’s message.
Prominent people like former aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, said that those who don’t see anything good in Kukah’s message are free to drown themselves in the Lagoon. Others say Kukah should have been more circumspect.
The Northern Christian Forum has allegedly distanced itself from Kukah saying the Bishop has become a tool in the hands of politicians.
Kukah said in his Christmas day message that if any other president other than a northern Muslim has done what Buhari is doing, there would be a military takeover of government.
According to him, Buhari sacrificed the dreams of those who voted for him for northern interest. He said the country has been left without leadership.