The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on security across the country, citing escalating killings, kidnappings, terrorist attacks, and the destruction of communities.
The call was part of resolutions reached at the National Church Denominational Leaders’ Summit held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, on Tuesday.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the summit themed “The State of the Nation and the Way Forward,” church leaders expressed concern over worsening insecurity, deepening economic hardship, and declining public confidence in state institutions.
They noted that thousands of Nigerians have been displaced from their ancestral homes, while many others continue to live in fear due to persistent violence and criminal activity.
Participants highlighted recent incidents of mass abductions, killings, and attacks in states including Oyo, Ogun, Borno, Benue, and Kogi, expressing particular concern over the kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers, attacks on farming communities, and the spread of violence into previously safe areas.
“CAN expresses profound alarm over the escalating violence across Nigeria, including killings, kidnappings, abductions, terrorist attacks, and the destruction of communities,” the communiqué stated.
The association condemned what it described as barbaric acts of murder, torture, rape, abduction, forced displacement, and other forms of violence, urging the Federal Government to take urgent, decisive, and measurable steps to restore public confidence and safeguard lives and property.
CAN also called for a comprehensive overhaul of the nation’s security architecture, improved intelligence gathering, stronger inter-agency coordination, and greater accountability in the fight against terrorism, banditry, and violent crime.
It further urged the acceleration of constitutional and legislative processes to establish state police and other decentralised security structures to enhance intelligence gathering, rapid response, and local accountability.
The Christian body demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all abducted schoolchildren, teachers, and other citizens in captivity, and called on security agencies to intensify rescue operations nationwide.
As part of its resolutions, CAN declared June 12, 2026, as the commencement of a three-day national mourning period, to run until June 14.
It also designated June 14 as a “Black Sunday” across churches in Nigeria in honour of victims of violence and in solidarity with families affected by insecurity.
CAN called on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), student bodies, civil society organisations, traditional institutions, and other stakeholders to collaborate in holding the government accountable and strengthening efforts to secure lives and property.
The association’s call comes amid renewed concerns over mass abductions across the country, including the kidnapping of pupils and teachers in Oyo State.
On May 15, armed men attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, abducting 39 pupils and seven teachers, including a vice principal. A school worker was killed during the attack, while a kidnapped mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was later reportedly beheaded.
In response, President Bola Tinubu approved the deployment of 1,000 forest guards, while security agencies intensified rescue operations.
Governor Seyi Makinde and a Federal Government delegation have visited affected communities, assuring residents that efforts to secure the release of the abductees were ongoing.
The incident triggered widespread outrage, with teachers in Oyo State embarking on an indefinite strike and the Nigeria Union of Teachers staging nationwide solidarity protests.
A similar attack was also reported in Borno State on the same day, where 42 pupils were abducted in Askira-Uba Local Government Area, raising fresh concerns over a resurgence of mass school kidnappings in Nigeria.
