They declared Friday, the 20th of June, 2025, as a dedicated day for this purpose.
This announcement came through a formal letter from the Archdiocesan Secretariat, jointly signed by Most Rev. Valerian Okeke, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Onitsha and Chairman of the province, and Most Rev. Peter Chukwu, Bishop of Abakaliki and Secretary.
The bishops expressed deep concern over the widespread killings across Nigeria, pointing specifically to recent violent incidents in Benue and Enugu states. The letter, titled ‘Urgent prayer request to stop bloodshed in Nigeria’, was made available to reporters in Awka on the 19th of June, 2025.
The letter read in part: “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, June 13, 2025.
