The Catholic Youth Organisation of Nigeria (CYON) has condemned the circulation of a forged document falsely attributed to the organisation by Bola Tinubu government, describing it as a calculated attempt to mislead Nigerians and more than 35 million faithful.
In a strongly worded disclaimer issued by its National Executive Council (NEC), CYON said the viral document titled “Our Faith Must Rise Above Partisan Politics” was fake, fraudulent and unauthorised, insisting that it did not originate from the organisation.

The youth body said the publication, which was purportedly issued by a non-existent group known as the Catholic Youth Association of Nigeria (CYAN), was deliberately designed to deceive the public by impersonating the official Catholic youth organisation.

According to the statement, the forged document falsely appropriated CYON’s identity through the use of fake branding, letterhead, logo and contact details in an apparent effort to give it legitimacy.

“The publication is false, fraudulent, unauthorised and a deliberate act of impersonation. It did not originate from CYON and does not represent the position or official communication of the Organisation,” the statement said.

The organisation stressed that the Catholic Youth Organisation of Nigeria (CYON) remains the only recognised umbrella body for Catholic youths in the country, adding that no organisation known as the Catholic Youth Association of Nigeria (CYAN) exists.

It said the fake publication was not only an attempt to impersonate the organisation but also a calculated effort to mislead Nigerians and millions of Catholic faithful by attributing views to CYON that it never expressed.

CYON stated that it neither authored, approved nor authorised the publication and emphasised that all claims and opinions contained in the document remain the responsibility of its unknown authors

The organisation further disclosed that it is considering legal action against those responsible for producing and circulating the forged document.

It urged Catholic youths, members of the clergy, religious, media organisations and the general public to disregard the publication and refrain from sharing or relying on its contents.