CAN declares 'Black Sunday,' calls for state of emergency over rising killings and abductions

• CAN declared June 14 "Black Sunday" to mourn the victims of rising national insecurity.

• Church leaders urged the federal government to declare an immediate state of emergency.

• The declaration follows a wave of violent kidnappings and killings in schools and communities.

• The association demanded the immediate establishment of state police to protect citizens.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has called on the federal government to declare a national state of emergency on security urgently. 

The apex Christian body made the demand following an escalation of killings, mass abductions, and terrorist attacks across the country.

As a direct response to the crisis, CAN has declared three days of national mourning and prayer, starting Friday, June 12, and ending on Sunday, June 14, 2026. 

The final day, June 14, has been designated as "Black Sunday", during which churches nationwide will hold special services to honour victims of violence and stand in solidarity with affected families.

The decisions were reached during the 2026 National Church Denominational Leaders’ Summit held at the National Christian Centre in Abuja. 

The summit, themed "The State of the Nation and the Way Forward", brought together leaders from major Christian blocs, including the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).

Reading the communique at the end of the summit, CAN President Archbishop Daniel Okoh stated that the nation's stability is under severe threat. 

The body expressed grave concern over the spike in violent crimes, economic hardship, and a noticeable decline in public confidence toward state institutions.

The summit highlighted recent waves of violence across several states, including Oyo, Ogun, Borno, Benue, and Kogi. 

Church leaders specifically condemned the targeting of vulnerable populations, noting that criminal groups are routinely abducting travellers on highways, displacing farmers from their lands, and invading schools.

The announcement comes on the heels of the recent school abductions in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where bandits kidnapped 39 pupils and seven teachers. 

The attack resulted in the death of a school worker and the reported beheading of a mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun. 

In reaction to the incident, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has threatened a nationwide strike if the government fails to guarantee the safety of schools.

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To address the systemic failures in the current security setup, CAN demanded a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria's security architecture. 

The association urged the government to improve intelligence gathering and foster better collaboration among security agencies.

Furthermore, the communique renewed calls for the immediate establishment of state police and other decentralised local security structures to improve response times.

"CAN condemns in the strongest terms the barbaric acts of murder, beheading, torture, rape, abduction, and forced displacement being perpetrated against innocent citizens," the statement read.

The association demanded the immediate, unconditional release of all abducted schoolchildren and citizens. 

It also asked the federal government to establish a comprehensive compensation and rehabilitation programme for survivors and communities whose livelihoods, churches, and schools have been destroyed.

Finally, CAN urged political leaders to suspend premature electioneering and partisan distractions, advising them to focus instead on the immediate task of securing the country and protecting human lives.

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