Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah has issued a serious warning to Nigerians, declaring that the country’s worsening insecurity cannot be solved by arming communities or promoting self-defence.
According to the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, such approaches only create “a false sense of security” and deepen the nation’s vulnerabilities.
Speaking in Abuja at a national dialogue on ‘A Whole-of-Society Approach to Prevention of Violence and Conflict in Northern Nigeria’, organised by the National Peace Committee, the Kukah Centre, and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the cleric said Nigeria is contending with deep-rooted societal fractures.
He highlighted the country’s “underlying ailments,” including unstable homes, fragmented communities, and a weakened moral fabric, conditions he said provide fertile ground for bandits, extremists, and criminal networks to thrive.
Kukah also questioned what would happen to weapons distributed to citizens once peace eventually returns to the country.
The bishop stressed that Nigeria’s path to peace requires unity across faith, ethnicity, and culture.
He declared that the nation “can only overcome its security challenges when every citizen, irrespective of faith, ethnic or cultural background, comes together to fight the common enemy.”
“The scale and depth of the insecurity problem in the country show that we have hit rock bottom, and the only direction left is upwards.
“There is a growing belief that communities can defend themselves by arming up. But arms will not solve our problems. They offer a false sense of security.
“And when peace returns, where will those weapons go? As a Christian, it is not accidental that Jesus asked Peter to put back his sword. God’s teachings do not change; circumstances may change, but the truth does not.”
Kukah described the gathering as part of a long national journey and said it calls on Nigerians to be “custodians of conscience and custodians of hope.”
“We meet because we believe Nigeria is worth fighting for—not with weapons, but with truth, courage, justice and compassion.
“Our gathering is meant to respond to the cries in our land, not to look for scapegoats or excuses. Nigeria remains a country searching for itself, blessed with extraordinary diversity.
“Our challenge is to turn that diversity into an asset, not a liability. Nation-building is about gathering and harmonising possibilities and skills from across the board.”
He urged the nation to learn from the United States, noting that its strength lies in the very diversity many societies consider a burden.
“If diversity were a liability, America would not be what it is,” he said.
Kukah emphasised that peace is a collective responsibility that cannot be outsourced. “Let us also acknowledge that peace cannot be outsourced. Peace is the collective work of all of us,” he said.
He added that the whole-of-society approach demands collaboration at all levels: government must lead with humility and justice, while religious and traditional institutions must confront extremism within their ranks.
“Peace begins with individuals, families, communities and societies. If each of us seeks peace where we are, the nation will benefit.
“We must build trust. We must speak for the voiceless. We must feel free to raise our voices. Women make up the majority of our population, yet many lack a voice, not because of numbers, but because voice means participation and representation.”
