Multiple Catholic dioceses in Nigeria will celebrate the Easter Vigil this Holy Saturday during daylight hours instead of at night due to worsening insecurity and violence in the area, according to an April 1 Vatican News report.
The decision by church officials follows a deadly Palm Sunday attack that killed at least 30 people in Ungwan Rukuba, a community in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. As Zeale News previously reported, armed men — whom some witnesses identified as members of Boko Haram and others alleged were armed Fulani militia — entered the community and opened fire on residents.
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Vatican News reported that Bishop Jude Ayodeji Arogundade of the Diocese of Ondo announced March 30 that the Easter Vigil Mass will begin at 5 p.m. on Holy Saturday, rather than the traditional nighttime service.
In a diocesan statement shared by Vatican News, Chancellor Father Michael O. Eniayeju said the change reflects “the realities of our time, particularly the prevailing insecurity in our country and our State” and was made “in response to pastoral prudence and sensitivity.”
The message urged clergy, religious, and the faithful to “remain steadfast in the Christian faith in the resurrection of our Lord” while directing all parishes to “beef up their security strategies” and “continually pray for peace and protection in our land.”
Vatican News also reported that many dioceses across Nigeria are implementing similar changes in response to ongoing violence.
The adjustments come amid a broader pattern of attacks in the region, some of which coincide with major Christian feasts. According to a 2025 report from International Christian Concern (ICC), Fulani extremists killed at least 54 Christians in the village of Zikke near Jos following Palm Sunday in 2025. ICC also documented similar attacks around Easter in the Plateau State from 2020 through 2024.