The Catholic Youth Organisation of Nigeria (CYON) has disowned a document circulating on social media that claimed to represent the views of Catholic youths on political neutrality, describing it as a forgery designed to mislead the public and impersonate the country's official Catholic youth body.
The fake document, dated 4th August 2026 and issued in the name of the "Catholic Youth Association of Nigeria (CYAN)," carried the title "Our Faith Must Rise Above Partisan Politics."
It claimed that Catholic youths did not collectively endorse any political party or presidential candidate and urged Church leaders to avoid comments on partisan politics.
However, the letterhead, logo, contact details and the name of the organisation were all fabricated.
In an official disclaimer released the same day, CYON said the publication was "false, fraudulent, unauthorised and a deliberate act of impersonation."
The organisation stressed that no body known as the Catholic Youth Association of Nigeria exists and that the only nationally recognised umbrella body for Catholic youths is the Catholic Youth Organisation of Nigeria.
"The publication did not originate from CYON and does not represent the position or official communication of the Organisation," the National Executive Council said.
It added that the forged letter was "a calculated attempt to mislead Nigerians, Catholic faithful and the general public" by falsely appropriating the identity of the organisation.
CYON also said the branding, logo and contact information contained in the forged document were fake.
According to information circulating within Catholic circles, the listed phone number was unreachable and has reportedly been traced to an individual identified as Sarah Ify.
The forged letter emerged amid heightened political tensions following recent comments by John Cardinal Onaiyekan after a meeting between Catholic bishops and President Bola Tinubu. During the meeting, the bishops expressed concern over Nigeria's worsening economic and security situation.
In a subsequent interview, Onaiyekan shared his personal views on the outcome, prompting criticism from supporters of the presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress.
CYON reaffirmed its loyalty to the Catholic Church and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria, urging Catholics, media organisations and the public to disregard the fake publication.
The organisation declared the purported open letter "fake, fraudulent, unauthorised, null, void and of no effect whatsoever," adding that it reserves the right to pursue legal action against those behind the impersonation.
Comments
Add a comment