Nigeria: Security forces evacuate churches

LAGOS, Nigeria

Security forces in southwest Nigeria evacuated worshippers from churches as part of measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Police and members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) stormed some churches in the southwestern cities of Abeokuta and Lagos on Sunday to stop mass gatherings, witnesses told Anadolu Agency.

"Some policemen and civil defence corps came to our church located within Abeokuta city and chased away worshippers. We ended the service abstruptly," church-goer David Oyewole told Anadolu Agency.

Lagos and other states in the country recently announced bans on large gatherings -- including in religious worship centers -- to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Most churches in Abuja, the capital, did not hold Sunday services, local media reported.

There are currently 30 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Nigeria, with the first case emerging on Feb. 27 in Lagos.

The novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, emerged in Wuhan, China last December and has spread to at least 167 countries and regions, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

There are 339,000 confirmed cases worldwide with the death toll over 14,600, while more than 98,000 have recovered.