HELD AT ST. AGNES CATHOLIC CHURCH, MARYLAND, LAGOS ON THURSDAY, 5th FEBRUARY 2026.

1.Preamble: We, the Catholic Bishops of the Lagos Ecclesiastical Province, comprising the Archdiocese of Lagos, Diocese of Abeokuta and Diocese of Ijebu-Ode gathered recently in Lagos in fellowship and prayer. The meeting was attended by the leadership and representatives of the Clergy, the Consecrated people and the various lay organizations who submitted reports of their activities for the previous year under review.

2. Gratitude for the New Year: We begin by wishing all Nigerians a grace-filled and prosperous New Year, 2026. We give thanks to Almighty God, the source of all life, for the priceless gift of this new year, a time of renewed hope and opportunity for our nation. We implore His divine guidance and blessings upon our country and its people.

3. Thanksgiving for Ecclesial Growth: With joyful hearts, we thank God for the visible growth and vitality of the Church in the Lagos Province. We witness inspiring developments in faith formation, pastoral outreach, and communal life. This growth is a testament to the living presence of the Holy Spirit among us.

4. Commendation to God’s People: We specially commend our dedicated Clergy, Consecrated Religious, and the Lay Faithful of the province for their unwavering commitment to the work of evangelization, charity, and building vibrant Christian communities. We commend all the lay organization and societies of the province for being worthy collaborators in the vineyard. Your sacrifices, zeal, and prayers are the bedrock of our ecclesial family. We encourage you to persevere in your witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, especially in works of justice, peace, and solidarity with the suffering.

5. Special Year of St. Francis: We acknowledge with deep appreciation the steadfast leadership of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV since his elevation to the See of Peter. We welcome and support his proclamation of a Special Year dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi. In light of this proclamation, we strongly urge the faithful to seize this grace-filled period for spiritual renewal. We encourage all to participate earnestly in the devotional and charitable acts prescribed, and to avail themselves of the indulgences granted, thereby drawing more fully upon the merciful grace of God.

6. A Land in the Throes of Suffering: With heavy hearts, we must condemn in the strongest possible terms the pervasive and deepening sufferings endured by the masses of our people. The rising tide of dehumanizing poverty, the momentous and unprecedented insecurities, and the epidemic of kidnappings for ransom have created a climate of fear, despair, and utter desolation for countless families. The continuous existence of IDPS is a clear testimony that a lot more need to be done to bring back sanity to our land. The social fabric of our nation is being torn asunder. No one is immune from these despicable trend, not even religious and community leaders, military officers and the elites.

7. Specific Condemnation of Targeted Violence: We note with grave alarm the astronomical rise in banditry and the wanton killings of innocent Nigerians. We are particularly distressed by the continued massacres and targeted attacks on Christian communities in Kwara, Oyo, Ondo, Benue, Plateau States, and several States in the Northern part of Nigeria. These are not mere statistics; they are our brothers and sisters, whose blood cries to heaven for justice. The seeming impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators is a scandal and an indictment on our moral and legal order.

8. Failure of Governance: It is our painful duty to state that the Federal and State Governments are not doing enough to quell this raging insecurity. The primary purpose of any government is the protection of life and property. When citizens are slaughtered in their homes, on their farms, and on the highways with monotonous regularity, it constitutes a fundamental failure of this sacred duty. We call for a decisive, robust, and intelligent security strategy that prioritizes human life, dislodges criminal safe havens, and addresses the root causes of this destabilizing violence, including poverty, unemployment, and communal grievances.

9. On International Collaboration: We acknowledge and commend the efforts of the United States Government and other international partners to collaborate with Nigeria in combating insecurity. Such collaboration must be founded on the principles of respect for our national sovereignty, transparency, and a primary, genuine focus on protecting the most vulnerable civilian populations. All support must be accountable and directed toward restoring peace and safeguarding the territorial integrity of our nation.

We equally urge the international community to assist our law enforcement agencies, including the DSS and EFCC, by providing intelligence that will help identify, apprehend, and prosecute corrupt individuals who sponsor and promote the activities of kidnappers and bandits. This is essential to ensure swift justice and deterrence.

10. Forthcoming Elections – Need to Strengthen Electoral Reforms:  With national elections less than a year away, urgent action is needed to strengthen our electoral system. We are all witnesses to the grave irregularities that marred the 2023 elections—an event that severely tested our democracy. As we prepare to return to the polls, we must decisively curb the loopholes that enable electoral fraud. To ensure a credible and transparent process in 2027, we specifically call on the Senate to heed the demands of Nigerians and swiftly pass legislation mandating the real-time electronic transmission of election results. This critical reform is essential to restoring public trust and safeguarding the integrity of our democracy. We equally call on all eligible Nigerians to be actively involved in the electoral process and ensure that they elect only credible leaders who will help them achieve their dreams and aspirations for a better life.

11.Conclusion and Call to Action: In this time of trial, we call on all Nigerians not to succumb to despair or the temptation of hatred. We reiterate our call for comprehensive socio-economic reforms to rescue our people from poverty. We urge our security agencies to rededicate themselves to their constitutional mandate with professionalism and respect for human rights. We implore all Catholics and people of good faith to intensify prayers for our nation. Let us pray for the conversion of hearts bent on evil, for the comfort of the bereaved, for the release of all captives, and for the wisdom and courage of our leaders.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, and the Holy Martyrs of Nigeria intercede for us.

Signed:

Most Rev. Alfred Adewale MARTINS

Archbishop of Lagos & Metropolitan of the Province

Most Rev. Francis Obafemi ADESINA

Bishop of Ijebu-Ode and Secretary