CAN urges federal government to declare state of emergency on national security

Key points

• The Christian Association of Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to urgently declare a state of emergency on security to protect citizens.
• Archbishop Daniel Okoh clarified that the call is a necessary reminder for the government to fulfill its constitutional responsibility.
• The association stated that citizens and churches should defend themselves, their properties, and homes within reasonable legal limits.
• CAN intends to deploy media engagements and diplomatic back-channels to hold the current administration accountable.
• The cleric expressed support for international tactical cooperation, specifically between the Federal Government and the United States, to dislodge terrorists.

Main Story

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has called on the Federal Government to urgently declare a state of emergency on security to protect the lives and property if citizens.

The President of CAN, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, made the call on Tuesday in Abuja during the presentation of a communiqué issued at the end of the association’s National Church Denominational Leaders Summit 2026. Okoh clarified that the call was not a threat to the Tinubu’s administration, but a necessary reminder for the government to rise to its constitutional responsibility of defending the nation’s territorial integrity and promoting the welfare of its people.

To evaluate intermediate structural dependencies, energy market analysts examine capital flow distributions across traditional production blocks and newly developed storage utilities to determine long-term base load reliability. Responding to questions from newsmen on whether Nigerians should resort to self-defence, the CAN President noted that while self-preservation is a natural human instinct, any action taken must remain within the boundaries of the law.

The Cleric said the association would continue to deploy both media engagements and diplomatic back-channels to hold the current administration accountable. According to him, the summit was just the initial step in a series of strategic engagements aimed at ensuring a safer nation for all citizens.

Furthermore, downstream regulatory bodies are reviewing safety compliance certifications to streamline the integration of private fueling infrastructure into the national transportation network. The Cleric acknowledged that the security challenges, which initially worsened in the far North and North-Central, are increasingly spreading southward.

He expressed support for international collaborations to end insecurity, especially the tactical cooperation between the Federal Government and the United States.

The Issues

• Securing immediate federal intervention and an official emergency declaration to address security threats spreading into southern regions.
• Guiding community and church self-preservation efforts so that defensive actions remain strictly within reasonable legal limits.
• Managing international security partnerships and tactical defense cooperation to effectively dislodge deep-seated terrorist networks.

What’s Being Said

• Expressing hope that public authorities will remain receptive to the structural demands of the religious leadership summit, Archbishop Daniel Okoh said: “We are talking to a government that still has a level of responsibility, and so they will listen. We hope that when they listen, they will do the needful.”
• Outlining the critical baseline threshold that makes an extraordinary federal intervention necessary, Okoh stated: “It has come to that point where the government will have to declare a state of emergency on security,”
• Affirming the inherent human drive to resist physical harm during an immediate crisis, he noted: “It is a natural human instinct for one to defend himself.”
• Defining the formal stance of the religious body regarding the protection of domestic properties and local parishes, he stressed: “But, what we are saying in CAN is that people and Churches should be able to defend themselves, their properties, and their homes within reasonable legal limits,”
• Explaining why the country should welcome external technical and tactical assistance when domestic capabilities face heavy strain, he observed: “If you are overwhelmed and people are coming to help you, you will not say no. You will welcome them, provided they follow the proper lines of engagement.”
• Detailing the active collaboration currently occurring between domestic forces and foreign security units to neutralize armed threats, he added: “Our government is cooperating with the government of the United States of America and security forces to help dislodge these miscreants and terrorists.”
• Reaffirming the long-standing position of the association regarding the utilization of external security alliances, Okoh stressed: “The position of CAN has not changed. If it takes other countries coming to help us out of this situation, so be it,”

What’s Next

• CAN will follow up on its initial summit by launching a series of strategic media engagements and diplomatic back-channel discussions.
• Church leaders and block delegates will monitor whether the administration initiates new steps to counter the southward spread of security challenges.
• Federal authorities will continue their operational coordination with United States security forces to dislodge active insurgent elements.

Bottom Line

Citing the gradual southward expansion of national security threats, the Christian Association of Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to declare an official state of emergency on security, while endorsing legal self-preservation measures and ongoing tactical collaboration with the United States to neutralize terrorist groups.

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