allAfrica.com -- Nigeria: Deadly Crusades

German Evangelist, Reinhard Bonnke's crusade in Nigeria are always a harvest of miracle amidst deaths

When Jesus Christ was sending out his disciples to preach, he assured them that signs and wonders would follow them. But there is a paradox in the mission of Reinhard Bonnke, the German evangelist, who has, for close to two decades, been preacing in Nigeria. That is, in addition to miracles which are witnessed at his crusades, there have been harvests of deaths and injuries. But many Nigerians blame those who always invite him for their failure to provide adequate logistics.

At the just concluded Millennium Crusade of the fiery German evangelist in Abeokuta, Ogun State, about 10 people collapsed out of exhaustion and suffocation and had to be rushed to hospital. Three of them later died.

The victims, who were in their 60s, were trampled to death by the already charged crowd. Investigation revealed that over 100,000 worshippers thronged the stadium meant for about 35,000. And when the push came to shove, the central gate of the stadium was said to have given way to the superior spirit-driven pull of the mammoth crowd. In the process, the ageing men fell and were stamped to death.

Bonnke is a renowned man of God who moves with the pace of 21st Century spirit of evangelism.

The German preacher has lived in Africa for seven years and had equally worked for over 30 years in the continent. Besides, Bonnke has criss-crossed the continent from South to East, West, North and Central Africa. Bonnke, no doubt, loves Nigeria most. Recently, in an interview with a Nigerian newspaper, Bonnke remarked: "And Nigeria, being the most populous nation on the continent, offers very special interest for me. I also discover that this country is tremendously hungry for the gospel.... That is why I keep on coming."

Thus, Bonnke has abandoned his native land, Germany, for Africa and Nigeria. And for two decades fire of his evangelism has been sweeping across Nigerian cities: Owerri, Aba, Benin, Port-Harcourt, Lagos, Ibadan, Ilorin, Osogbo and Kano. The mammoth crowd that has become a common feature wherever Bonnke organises crusades confirms his assertion of Nigerians' hunger for evangelism.

Last year in Osogbo, Osun State, a suspected group of Islamic fundamentalists went berserk, unleashing terror on the indigenes; killing , maiming and destroying their property. One person was killed with over 15 churches razed in the ensuing mayhem. The religious rioters were said to have been protesting against the proposed visit of the German evangelist. Although there was a breakdown of law and order, the crusade later went on amidst tight security in the state capital.

Similarly, tragedy occurred in Benin City two years ago when more than a dozen people were crushed to death during Bonnke's stadium appearance in Benin City , the Edo State capital . The deaths were said to have been caused by suffocation as the faithful rushed into the city stadium. Similar incident 11 years ago led to the outright ban of the evangelist from preaching in the northern Nigerian cities. In 1991, Bonnke's crusade triggered off a religious riot, the flame of which consumed over 300 people. Since then, Bonnke has been denied entrance into this part of the country that is predominantly Muslim.

In Ilorin, some Muslim fundamentalists protested Bonnke's crusade train billed for the ancient city. Although no life was lost, churches and property were destroyed in the protest. Eventually, Bonnke had to cancel the Ilorin crusade.

This phenomenon of death at the altar of Bonnke's crusade has become one constant feature of his evangelism. Yet, not a few people believe the deaths were not of Bonnke's design. Most of the deaths, information reveals, resulted from exhaustion, overcrowding, suffocation, impatience and anxiety of the worshippers. Many people died in their attempts to touch the man of God's robe for healing.

For instance, at the Moshood Abiola Stadium venue in Abeokuta, over 100,000 were crammed into the 35,000 capacity crowd stadium. The same thing happened in Benin, Lagos, Ibadan and Port Harcourt which attracted about 600,000 people.

Bonnke was said to have conducted about 63 major crusades and preached to over 27 million people in the last two decades. Over 1.1 million people also confessed Jesus Christ and renounced things evil in Port Harcourt while over 3.4 million Nigerians obtained the joy of salvation at the Lagos crusade. Doubtless to say that Bonnke will continue his gospel to the unreached millions in Africa, the pertinent question now is: will death forever continue to trail the German preacher's crusades?