Christian revival sweeps Nigeria's police force in southwest

Nigerian evangelists say that a revival fire is sweeping the ranks of the police force in Africa's most populous nation as thousands of law enforcement officers are casting aside their weapons and surrendering their lives to Jesus.

This they say has resulted in the establishment of the Police Christian Fellowship in Nigeria. Adedoye Adedayo, president of the Police Christian Fellowship of Nigeria, and an assistant inspector-general in the police spoke at the dedication of a police chapel on 11 November at the Lagos headquarters of the Nigeria Police in the country's southwest, where Christians form the majority. He said that the dedication of the chapel and the repentance of the men and women of the police force for past misdeeds was a sign that force was now repositioning itself to serve Nigerians in a godly way.

The establishment of the Police Christian Fellowship comes at a time the image of the Nigeria Police has been battered following accusations of extra-judicial killings, corruption, and diversion of public funds by its principal officers into personal bank accounts. The Nigeria Police is rated by the people its serves as one of the most corrupt institutions in one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Nigerians have long called for decisive reform and the government has met some of these demands by dismissing and jailing a number of officers found to have engaged in fraud. Tafa Balogun, a former inspector-general of the police force, is currently standing trial for stealing over 13 billion naira (US$10 million) in police funds, while other senior officers are on trial for killing six innocent persons in the nation's capital, Abuja, earlier in 2005.

Adedoye in a message to the police in Lagos, encouraged his colleagues to remain steadfast in following Christ and to shun acts that would not only send them to hell, but would also denigrate the image of the police force. "This place [chapel] shall be a place of rescue," Adedoye said, adding, "When we run inside here, we're saved." Femi Oyeleye, an assistant commissioner of police, and pastor in-charge of the chapel at the same service told his colleagues, "The truth is that as a police officer, you are a peace officer. You remember the Lord Our Saviour is called the prince of peace. Blessed are the peace officers for they shall be called the sons of God."

Oyeleye told Ecumenical News International that the members of the Nigeria Police have discovered the futility of not properly discharging their duties. He said they have decided to redirect their actions by coming to the Lord and repenting their sins. He explained that all police men and women in the country's largest city, Lagos, would in future hold prayer meetings in the new chapel on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. About 40 per cent of Nigeria's 129 million people are Christians; 50 per cent are Muslims.