Nigerian preacher protests ‘harassment’ by Ukrainian govt – The Nation
November 24, 2009 by Bunmi Awolusi
Nigerian preacher based in Kyiv, Ukraine, Pastor Sunday Adelaja, has urged the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, to prevail on the government to stop harassing him.
He said the Head of Police and Interior Affairs, Yuriy Lutsenko, has barred him from travelling outside Ukraine.
Pastor Adelaja, whose church, the Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for All Nations, has an attendance of 25,000 in the country, with 99 per cent local audience, said he has been a victim of vicious false accusations of fraud and treason by the Ukrainian authorities.
In a November 5 letter to the minister by his lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, the preacher requested for the urgent intervention of the Federal Government on his behalf.
“It is our prayer that strong representation be made to the Ukrainian government expressing the Nigerian government’s concern about the possible violation of Pastor Adelaja’s right in accordance with international human rights norms, especially his rights to freedom of expression and movement.
