Sokoto Diocese debunks viral claim of attack on Kukah’s residence, cathedral

Sokoto Diocese debunks viral claim of attack on Bishop Kukah’s residence and Catholic facilities, says all structures are safe.

The Catholic Diocese of Sokoto has dismissed as false the claim in a video circulating on social media that the residence of Matthew Kukah, the Holy Family Catholic Cathedral, and a Catholic Pastoral Centre worth N1 billion were set ablaze by Islamist protesters in Sokoto.

The Director of Communications for the diocese, Pascal Salifu, said in a statement on Saturday that the information was “totally false,” adding that “the Bishop’s residence, the Cathedral, and the Catholic Pastoral Centre in Sokoto remain safe, intact, and fully operational.”

The claim, which circulated widely on social media, alleged that the facilities were attacked by hoodlums protesting the arrest of suspects linked to the 2022 killing of Deborah Yakubu, a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto.

Mr Salifu said the video accompanying the claim was misleading and had resurfaced in the context of the earlier incident. He described it as the work of individuals “committed to causing havoc in our society.”

He added that security agencies, including the military and other state operatives, responded promptly after the video began to circulate.

According to the diocese, Sokoto remains calm, with no reported attack on the bishop’s residence or any Catholic facility in the state.

The statement also conveyed Mr Kukah’s goodwill message to residents, extending early Easter greetings to “all the faithful and people of goodwill.”