The Christian Association of Nigeria has declared a period of national mourning and is asking the federal government to treat insecurity as a full-blown emergency across the country. The decision comes as attacks, kidnappings and killings keep rising, with the recent abduction and killing of teachers and pupils in Oyo State adding to the grief. CAN says the bloodshed has gone beyond routine statements and now requires urgent, decisive action that Nigerians can actually see and feel.

In a communiqué after the National Church Denominational Leaders Summit in Abuja, CAN directed all churches to observe days of prayer, fasting and mourning for victims of violence, especially teachers, students and communities torn apart by banditry and abductions. The body also called on the federal government to declare a state of emergency on security and deploy specialized rescue units with clear mandates to bring back abducted citizens and break up criminal networks. CAN stressed that protecting lives and property is government’s foremost constitutional duty, and it warned against politicizing the killings. The association said current security strategies are failing, pointing to the Oyo school attack and similar incidents as proof, and urged leaders to put citizens’ safety above politics. 

CAN also backed the Nigeria Union of Teachers’ protest and indefinite strike in Oyo, saying the safety of schools and learners must now be treated as a national emergency.

Source: punch news