Evangelistic program stopped by Kwara police

ILORIN, Nigeria — The state government of Kwara dispatched policemen to stop a five-day program organized by German evangelist Reinhard Bonnke after its second day Aug. 19, claiming that if the meetings were allowed to continue, Muslim militants would attack Christians at the meeting grounds the following day.

The assistant to Kwara states governor said at a press conference in Ilorin Aug. 27 that the government’s action stemmed from the need to prevent bloody religious crisis in Ilorin, the state capital. Muslim militants protested the evangelistic meetings the weekend before Bonnke arrived in Ilorin Aug. 17, his first trip to Kwara state in 14 years. Christian leader Olusola Ajolore accused the government of pandering to the whims of Muslims in the state. He described the program’s cancellation as ill-motivated and preconceived.