State government demolishes churches

NIGERIA — State officials in Borno, northern Nigeria, have demolished churches in the capital city of Maiduguri and plan to demolish more, claiming the buildings infringe on city development ordinances. Christian leaders said the church demolitions were part of a phased plan to prevent churches from acquiring land and erecting buildings.

In another development, Muslim officials in Zamfara state forcefully assumed control of a convent belonging to the Nigerian Catholic Church in the state capital of Gusau. Church leaders staging a protest march in Gusau were arrested by police, then quickly released when officials realized the arrests could spark a violent confrontation between Muslims and Christians in the city. Sister Franca Igweilo, head of the seized convent, said that since the introduction of sharia, or Islamic law, the government of Zamfara state has trampled on the rights of Christians.