“Communities are under attack; citizens are kidnapped from their homes and places of work, travelers are abducted on highways, and farmers are driven from their lands.”
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has declared a three-day national mourning period, from 12 to 14 June, to honour the victims of violent attacks, mass abductions, and banditry across the country.
The Christian body also designated 14 June 14 as “Black Sunday” across all churches as a mark of solidarity with families affected by the lingering security crisis.
The President of CAN, Daniel Okoh, made the announcement on Tuesday in Abuja while reading a communiqué issued at the end of the National Church Denominational Leaders Summit. .
The summit, held at the National Christian Centre and themed “The State of the Nation and the Way Forward,” brought together top church leaders, block leaders, and delegates to prayerfully review the country’s challenges.
Mr Okoh expressed deep concern over the escalating wave of violence, citing recent incidents of killings, kidnappings, and destruction of communities in states such as Oyo, Ogun, Borno, Kwara, and Kogi.
He urged the federal government to immediately declare a state of emergency on national security to halt the ongoing bloodshed.
”Communities are under attack; citizens are kidnapped from their homes and places of work, travelers are abducted on highways, and farmers are driven from their lands.
”Innocent men, women, and children are killed, maimed, displaced, and, in some cases, brutally beheaded by criminal and terrorist elements,” Mr Okoh said.
The CAN President criticised the “recurring resort to conciliatory and pacifist rhetoric by senior government officials” in response to grave security threats, calling instead, for a proactive, result-oriented approach.
He reminded the government that the primary responsibility of any administration remains the protection of lives and property.
Consequently, the cleric demanded a comprehensive review of the nation’s security architecture, improved intelligence gathering, stronger inter-agency cooperation, and greater operational accountability.
He also threw his weight behind decentralising security operations, calling for the immediate acceleration of constitutional and legislative processes for the establishment of state police.
The CAN President further demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all abducted school children, teachers, and other citizens currently held captive by criminal elements.
On the humanitarian front, Mr Okoh called for the establishment of a comprehensive compensation, rehabilitation, and resettlement programme for victims of terrorism and families who have lost livelihoods or loved ones.
He also tasked individual churches across the federation to strengthen internal support systems by providing humanitarian assistance, trauma care, and peace-building initiatives for displaced persons within their localities.
Mr Okoh lamented that premature electioneering, political calculations, and party defections were taking center stage among the political class while many communities remained under siege.
He advised political leaders and parties to shun divisive distractions and prioritise national security.
The cleric called on organised labour groups, civil society organisations and traditional institutions to collaborate in holding the government accountable.
Mr Okoh reaffirmed the commitment of the church to national unity, peace, and justice.
He stressed that, while prayers would be intensified, they must be matched with sustained civic engagement and advocacy.
Mr Okoh called on the federal government to urgently declare a state of emergency on security to protect the lives and property if citizens.
He clarified that the call was not a threat to the Bola Tinubu administration, but a necessary reminder for the government to rise to its constitutional responsibility of defending the nation’s territorial integrity and promoting the welfare of its people.
”We are talking to a government that still has a level of responsibility, and so they will listen. We hope that when they listen, they will do the needful.
”It has come to that point where the government will have to declare a state of emergency on security,” Okoh said.
Responding to questions from journalists on whether Nigerians should resort to self-defence, the CAN president noted that while self-preservation is a natural human instinct, any action taken must remain within the boundaries of the law.
”It is a natural human instinct for one to defend himself.
”But, what we are saying in CAN is that people and churches should be able to defend themselves, their properties, and their homes within reasonable legal limits,” he stressed.
The cleric said the association would continue to deploy both media engagements and diplomatic back-channels to hold the current administration accountable.
According to him, the summit was just the initial step in a series of strategic engagements aimed at ensuring a safer nation for all citizens.
The cleric acknowledged that the security challenges, which initially worsened in the far north and north-central, are increasingly spreading southward.
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