"Northern elite laid foundation for Boko Haram insurgency" - Bishop Kukah

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah has accused the northern elite of being behind the Boko Haram insurgency which is currently plaguing the country.

Kukah made the comment while delivering a lecture during the 2015 Conference on Islam in Nigeria which held from November 22 to 25 at the Fountain University in Osun State.

The cleric spoke on the topic ‘The Muslim agenda for Nigeria: Challenges of development and good governance’

“A hypocritical elite continues to believe that it can claim the benefits of democracy but use it only to consolidate its hold on power. This is what has laid the foundation for what is now Boko Haram. We must locate the current crisis of Boko Haram within the context of the inability of the northern Muslim elite to live by their own dubious creed of being Muslims,” Kukah said.

“Boko Haram began as a revolt against this mendacity, subterfuge and hypocrisy. Now, I hear Muslims in northern Nigeria hiding under the cover of the facts by saying: ‘These Boko Haram people are not Muslims. They do not represent us’. Well, first, they are your own children. You must take responsibility for what has made them what they are today and to the rest of society. They claim they have been inspired by the Quran and no other holy book. They say they want to build an Islamic state. So, they are Muslims. Islam must have an honest look at the mirror and have an internal discussion,” he added.