The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has declared a nationwide “Black Sunday” in protest against the worsening insecurity ravaging the country, warning that the Church can no longer remain silent while Nigerians live in fear, mourning and uncertainty.
The declaration, observed on Sunday, June 14, came alongside a three-day national mourning period initiated by the Christian body to honour victims of terrorism, banditry, kidnappings and violent attacks that have claimed thousands of lives across the country in recent years.
Speaking after the National Church Denominational Leaders Summit held in Abuja, CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, lamented the deepening security crisis and accused authorities of failing to adequately protect citizens from relentless attacks by criminal and terrorist groups.
According to the communiqué issued at the summit, churches nationwide were directed to observe “Black Sunday” in solidarity with victims and their families, while prayers would be offered for peace, justice and national healing.
The Christian body expressed alarm over the increasing wave of killings, kidnappings and community invasions in several states, including Borno, Kogi, Kwara, Ogun and Oyo, noting that insecurity has spread beyond traditional flashpoints and now threatens national cohesion.
“Communities are under attack; citizens are kidnapped from their homes and places of work, travellers are abducted on highways, and farmers are driven from their lands,” Archbishop Okoh said while reading the communiqué.
He further decried the plight of innocent Nigerians who have been killed, displaced, maimed or held captive by terrorists and criminal gangs, warning that the continued assault on human life poses a grave threat to the nation’s future.
CAN called on the Federal Government to immediately declare a state of emergency on security, insisting that the constitutional responsibility of any government remains the protection of lives and property.
The association also renewed its longstanding demand for state policing and decentralised security structures, arguing that localised security systems would improve intelligence gathering, response times and accountability.
Beyond prayers, the Christian body stressed that faith communities must actively advocate for justice and support victims through humanitarian assistance, trauma care and peace-building initiatives.
On self-defence, CAN maintained that citizens have a natural right to protect themselves and their communities, provided such actions remain within the boundaries of the law.
The church leaders also demanded the unconditional release of abducted schoolchildren, teachers and other Nigerians currently held by kidnappers and terrorist groups.
In a pointed criticism of the political class, CAN lamented that early electioneering activities, political defections and partisan calculations appear to be receiving more attention than the nation’s worsening security emergency.
The association urged civil society groups, labour unions, traditional institutions and all Nigerians to hold government accountable and work collectively toward restoring peace and security across the country.
The declaration of Black Sunday marks one of the strongest public interventions by Nigeria’s apex Christian body in recent years and reflects growing frustration over persistent insecurity that continues to affect communities across the federation.
For millions of Nigerians living under the shadow of violence, fear and displacement, Sunday’s observance stood not merely as a religious event but as a solemn national cry for urgent action before more lives are lost.