Nigeria insecurity: CAN declares 3-day mourning, backs state police

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has announced a three-day national mourning period from June 12 to 14 to honor victims of violent attacks, mass abductions, and banditry plaguing the country. The organization also designated June 14 as "Black Sunday," calling for all churches to observe the day in solidarity with families impacted by the ongoing security crisis.

CAN President Daniel Okoh expressed deep concern over the escalating violence, citing recent incidents of killings, kidnappings, and community destruction in states like Oyo, Ogun, Borno, Kwara, and Kogi. He urged the federal government to immediately declare a state of emergency on national security to curb the bloodshed.

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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.

"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," Okoh stated. He criticized the government's "recurring resort to conciliatory and pacifist rhetoric" in response to severe security threats, advocating instead for a proactive, results-oriented approach. Okoh reminded the government that protecting lives and property is its primary responsibility.

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Innocent men, women, and children are killed, maimed, displaced, and, in some cases, brutally beheaded by criminal and terrorist elements.

The association called for a comprehensive review of the nation's security architecture, enhanced intelligence gathering, improved inter-agency cooperation, and greater operational accountability. CAN also backed the decentralization of security operations, urging the acceleration of processes for establishing state police. Furthermore, they demanded the immediate release of all abducted citizens, including school children and teachers.

On the humanitarian front, CAN called for compensation, rehabilitation, and resettlement programs for victims of terrorism and their families. Individual churches were also tasked with strengthening internal support systems to provide humanitarian aid, trauma care, and peace-building initiatives for displaced persons. Okoh lamented that political maneuvering seemed to overshadow the critical security situation, with many communities remaining under siege.

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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.