Church Leaders Declare August 23 Collective Prayer Day over Insecurity in Nigeria

There have been a number of militant attacks in the last several months including kidnappings and murder that seem to target Christians.

In January, 18-year-old seminarian, Michael Nnadi, who had been kidnapped alongside three other seminarians from their Good Shepherd Major Seminary in Kaduna State was murdered.

The southern part of Kaduna State has also been experiencing violence since January with media reports indicating that 43 people were killed between July 21 to 24. A total of 178 people have lost their lives since the violence started. 

“Since the beginning of the year, CAN has consistently called on churches in Nigeria to embark on a joint offering of special prayers within a specific period of time and dates, to seek divine intervention on the insecurity challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic which has crippled activities since the beginning of 2020,” CAN members recall.

Last week, the Catholic Bishops in Nigeria announced a 40-day prayer period during which God’s intervention will be sought for an end to the security crisis that has been described as “genocide”.

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“To all Catholics, we request that you join in praying, one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be to the Father every day after the Angelus for forty days, starting from 22 August 2020 and ending 30 September 2020, the eve of Nigeria's Independence Day,” the members of the  Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) said in their August 8 statement shared with ACI Africa.

They add, “On Independence Day, let us join in praying the five decades of the sorrowful mysteries starting from 12 noon.”

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.