…Declare ‘Day of Prayer’
Catholic Bishops across Nigeria have condemned in strong terms the gruesome killings of Christians across Nigeria following the recent bloodshed in Benue and Enugu states.
The Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province and Lagos have both called for prayers and divine intervention after condemning in strongest terms, the recent gruesome massacre of Catholic faithful.
Accordingly, the bishops stated that many Nigerians now live in constant fear due to the level of insecurity across the country. It therefore described the Benue and Enugu killings as inhuman, barbaric and gross violation of the sanctity and dignity of human life.
The bishops also called on the government to immediately put an end to the almost daily bloodshed in different parts of the country.
Read also: Benue Massacres: Causes, issues, and assertive solutions
It also urged the government to rise to its principal duty of restoring security, justice and peace in Nigeria.
“We, the Catholic Bishops of Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province, condemn in strongest terms, the recent gruesome massacre of our brothers and sisters in Benue State by the so-called herdsmen on Friday night, 13th June, 2025.
“We also received credible information that similar senseless attacks and killings also took place in some parts of Eha-Amufu in Enugu State on Sunday, 15th June, 2025. We are deeply anguished and shocked by this relentless shedding of innocent blood in different parts of our beloved country, Nigeria.”
As a mark of solidarity, all priests and Religious groups in the Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province observed Friday, June 20, 2025 as a special day of prayer and fasting.
The intention was for peace and security especially in Benue and Enugu states and other parts of Nigeria where similar things are happening.
Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of Lagos, on his part declared Sunday, June 22, 2025, as a Day of Prayer for Peace and protest against killings in Nigeria, particularly in Benue and Enugu states.
According to the Lagos Archdiocese, the decision follows the recent massacre in Yelewata, Benue State, where many lives were lost in a brutal killing by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
He expressed pain and outrage over the incident, which targeted vulnerable and unprotected people, including those who had been displaced from their homes.
“The conviction of being deliberately targeted is thick in the air and people need to be reassured that they are safe and secure irrespective of where they live within the borders of our country,” Martins said in a statement, describing the gruesome killings as, “inhumane and completely barbaric.”
He emphasised that the lack of solution to the problems in Benue State for many years is an indictment on the efficiency of the security system and the sincerity of the politicians.
“We thank our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, for calling the attention of the world to the Benue massacre in particular as well as to the violence that is ongoing in other parts of our country.
“Let us all, with one voice, call on the security agencies, and governments at all levels in our country not to look away from the suffering of the people of Benue and other states that has been going on for far too long,” Archbishop Martins tasked,” Martins stated.
He further directed all priests working in Lagos Archdiocese to celebrate Masses in their parishes on Sunday June 22, 2025, seeking God’s intervention to bring the violence to an end.
Similarly, in the evening of the same day, parishes are to organize rosary processions within their church compounds, led by Marian devotion societies and other Catholic groups, while the faithful are encouraged to call upon the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Queen of Peace and Help of Christians, to intercede on behalf of the many people suffering in Nigeria.
According to the Archdiocese, the Day of Prayer and Protest declared by the Church is a peaceful and vocal condemnation of the continuous violation of lives and properties in Nigeria.
