Cameroon’s President Paul Biya has ordered the closure of
nearly 100 Christian churches in key cities, citing criminal practices
organized by Pentecostal pastors that threaten the security of the
Central African nation.
Among the affected churches was
Winners Chapel founded by Nigerian pastor, David Oyedepo, where on
Sunday, a 9-year-old Christian girl collapsed and died during a prayer
session in Bamenda.
The girl’s mother, Mih Theresa, said that the
pastor intended to cast out the numerous demons that were in control of
her daughter’s life.
“I want the government to stop these pastors
who use mysterious powers to pull Christians and kill then for more
powers. All my children have ran away from the Catholic Church in search
for miracles, signs and
wonders,” she said while holding back tears.
Biya
is using the military to permanently shut down all Pentecostal church
denominations in the nation’s capital, Yaounde, and the North West
Regional capital, Bamenda, which have the largest Christian populations
in Cameroon. More than 50 churches have now been closed, with the
government targeting nearly 100 in eight other regions.
“We will
get rid of all the so-called Christian Pentecostal pastors who misuse
the name of Jesus Christ to fake miracles and kill citizens in their
churches. They have outstretched their liberty,” Mbu Anthony Lang, a
government official in Bamenda said.
But Pentecostal pastors said the move is evidence of Biya’s insecurity about the churches’ criticism of the government.
North
West Regional governor Adolphe Lele L’Afrique said Wednesday that
police had discovered the abduction of 30 children under age 18 by a
pastor in Bamenda. The pastor said he wanted to remove the children from
a bad society, Lele added.
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