As Plateau State reels from a recent surge of violence that has claimed dozens of innocent lives, Christian leaders are making a passionate appeal for peace, unity, and justice during this year’s Easter celebrations. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Plateau State chapter, along with denominational church leaders, has condemned the ongoing killings in communities such as Bokkos and Bassa, where nearly 80 people were killed between March 27 and April 2, 2025, and over 30 more lost their lives in fresh attacks just last week.
In response to the bloodshed, CAN has urged Christians across Plateau to embrace the spirit of Easter by shunning violence and coming together in solidarity. The association has called on all believers to wear black to church on Easter Sunday, April 20, as a symbol of mourning, and to join the “2nd Peace Walk Against Continuous Killings” on Easter Monday, April 21. The peace walk, scheduled to begin at 9:00 am from PRTV Roundabout Junction in Jos and end at the New Government House, Little Rayfield, aims to honour the dead, demand an end to the violence, and present a collective call for justice to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang.
Dr. Gideon ParaMallam, President of the Gideon and Funmi Peace Foundation and a member of the protest planning committee, emphasized that the peace walk is a solemn but powerful procession, urging every Christian to participate as a visible act of unity and resistance against impunity. Participants are encouraged to wear black for mourning, red to demand an end to the killings, and white to symbolize peaceful resistance.
CAN’s national leadership, in a Palm Sunday statement signed by Archbishop Daniel Okoh, also called on security agencies to act swiftly in bringing perpetrators to justice and urged the government at all levels to intensify efforts to secure communities and prevent further bloodshed. The association reminded Nigerians that the message of Easter—peace, humility, and sacrificial love—remains urgent, especially in these challenging times, and called on all citizens to rise above division and work together for a peaceful and united nation.
The Christian community in Plateau is determined to ensure that the voices of the bereaved and the call for justice are not ignored, even as they pray for comfort, healing, and lasting peace in the state and across Nigeria.
