Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Reverend Matthew Kukah, has described Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, governance failures and identity politics as a “theatre of lies” sustained by denial, lack of trust and systemic hypocrisy.

Kukah spoke on Friday in an interview on Frontline, a currents affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese Ijebu, monitored by our correspondent in Abeokuta.

He warned that Nigeria is fast normalizing collective humiliation.

Kukah argued that Nigeria’s crisis is not fundamentally about religion, but about disobedience to moral values, state failure and the erosion of trust between government and citizens.

He said, “Religion comes before politics. The pulpit comes before the political podium. The problem is not religion interfering in politics, but politicians disobeying what they hear in churches and mosques.”

According to Kukah, places of worship are meant to function as “filling stations” for moral values, equipping citizens with the ethics required to build a just society.

“Wherever you see conflict, it is a conflict between obedience and disobedience.”

Speaking on the abduction of over 170 worshippers in Kaduna State, which was initially denied by security agencies, Kukah said the episode exposes Nigeria’s broken crisis management system and a deep credibility deficit.

“Something happened. People were abducted in a church. Government preferred denial. The church insisted it happened. That triangle of lies and truth explains why Nigeria is where it is.”

He warned that security agencies’ instinct to suppress bad news in order to “look good” has worsened public distrust.

“You cannot be embarrassed about the injury or death of Nigerian citizens. Covering wounds does not heal them. It only shows in the way you walk,” he said.

Kukah dismissed official claims of “kinetic and non-kinetic strategies” as empty jargon, noting that no one has clearly explained what those terms mean, while kidnappings continue unchecked.

Meanwhile, he warned that Nigeria has developed a dangerous culture of rewarding criminality, citing the example of the release of suspected bandits as part of a peace initiative by the Katsina State government.

“This is a country that has become used to rewarding malfeasance. It shows in appointments, elections, and now in security,” he added.