You can trust Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his team to dig up the evidence that eludes even state investigators with all the resources.

I lost count of the crimes and egregious human rights abuses T.B. Joshua is said to have perpetrated against the victims and the countless gullible others in Jesus’ name.

It is difficult to discount the harrowing stories of the experience of Hell itself told by the former disciples.

The plenty evidence of charlatanic advertisements, domestic violence in the nature of economic, verbal, emotional, sexual, physical and psychological abuse; defiling girls and raping those women; the crimes and torts of assault, battery, threats of harm and death; false imprisonment, barefaced fraud, corruption and even murder, mass murder in the illegal structure that collapsed and killed 116.

These go on right here but we will rather tell the few people who will speak up against such to shut up, and not touch the anointed.

Yes, and there is absolutely no consequence. That’s the real problem as these corrupt politicians will protect such criminals for fear of losing votes from their members. Votes for power, that’s all that matters.

We see so-called pastors violate the dignity of people by subjecting them to all sorts of treatment and chaining some like animals to trees.

Their churches have become mental homes where the vulnerable are flogged, starved, and fed like ‘dogs’ in the name of providing a cure they never get.

The IGP cracks the whip on charlatanic prophets who hear God speak only on 31^st December night and only about doom and we insult him for attacking the church.

Kids have watched unthinkable stuff by ritualists on TV and influenced to kill their friends for money.

Corrupt politicians take advantage of you to insist on sinking millions of your money, borrowed money, into destroying expensive edifices and building a cathedral while your economy is plunged into historic crisis because they know you are a bunch of ‘foolish’ Christians. They know that you will fight those demanding openness and accountability.

Churches are supposed to be public trust entities, yet you are happy to belong to a no-structures, unquestionable, untrained one-man or woman in a fraudulent business in the name of God. Even Jesus gathered 12 men and was accountable to them.

Be wise as the serpent and choose men who are diligent, who present themselves approved to God as workers who do not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, the Apostle Paul instructs.

We should, like Kenya, demand minimum professional qualifications for clerics. Like the UK Charity Commission, we should begin the barest regulation for order, structures and financial accountability of pastors and their churches. That is My Take.

Samson Lardy ANYENINI

The three-part documentary alleged that the late cleric was guilty of raping and torturing some of his church members. It also claimed that the prophet staged some of his miracles.

As the controversy continues to rage, Saturday Beats recalls that some entertainers had been to the church for one reason or the other over the years.

In 2013, a popular actor, Jim Iyke visited the SCOAN. In a video that went viral at the time, Iyke was purportedly being ‘delivered’ from an evil spirit. The spirit, allegedly speaking through him, claimed to have been tormenting the actor’s life, and threatened to destroy Joshua.

However, in a subsequent interview, Iyke stated that he had been advised to take his ailing mum to the church for healing, adding that he was desperate. He said, “I will never be desperate again. Desperation took me there, believing the man of God would heal her (his mother).”

Another actor, Hanks Anuku, stated that he was taken to the church, where he was allegedly healed of a mental illness. Speaking in an interview, he said, “Yes, I got my healing through TB Joshua. It is our Lord’s doing. I was having issues with mentality (sic) for over seven years. You will notice I have not been that frequent in movies for long. 

I spent so much money visiting hospitals, orthodox and unorthodox doctors without positive results, until I was introduced to T.B Joshua. I was only watching his TV programme in Ghana and was healed.”

However, at different times in 2023, pictures and videos of Anuku appearing unkempt surfaced on social media, with some of his colleagues and fans expressing concern that he was mentally unstable.

A rapper and former Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, Munachi Abii, also visited the church at some point and allegedly met with Joshua, though her reason for going there was not disclosed.

Some years ago, a singer, Victor AD, had also claimed that TB Joshua healed him of skin disease when he was just six years old. Reiterating the impact Joshua had on his family, AD took to social media during the week to state that the late prophet cured his sister of blindness, and healed his mum of a gunshot injury on her hand. He added that the prophet was kind to his family.

A former Big Brother Naija contestant, Kesiena Adjekpovu, simply known as Kess, also pledged his unwavering support for the late Joshua in the wake of the documentary’s release. He wrote on X, “TB Joshua is still my pastor. BBC should try again.”

Yet, another former BBN housemate, Chukwuemeka Okoye, aka Frodd, stated that the late Joshua gave him a scholarship when he was in the university, and also gave him an allowance of N8000 every day in 2010.

A veteran actress, Fausat Balogun, aka Madam Saje, also pledged her support for the late prophet. Reposting a video of one of the late cleric’s sermons, she opined that his impact and the fight he led for the betterment of lives could not be overshadowed by any claims or institutions, including the BBC.

This statement follows the release of a BBC documentary that exposes alleged abuses within the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), led by the late Prophet TB Joshua.

The documentary has ignited widespread discussions, revealing instances of sexual abuse, rape allegations, and manipulations of miracles within the SCOAN.

In an interview with Arise News, Anas emphasized that the primary focus should be on the documented cases of abuse rather than religious considerations.

He stated, “I think that the major takeaway from this documentary is the level of abuse we’ve all seen in the film. And I don’t want us to look at this with the lenses of religion; it is a pure human rights abuse story, which all of us as journalists have been covering. In situations where girls have been raped, sexually abused, and manipulations of miracles, it’s about time we say no to these things. We should stand firm and state it as it is to let people know what the real story is.”

Addressing concerns about the timing of the documentary’s release in the wake of TB Joshua’s passing, Anas argued that, the death of an individual does not absolve them of accountability for alleged wrongdoings.

Drawing parallels with historical figures like Hitler, he said the atrocities committed by individuals should be acknowledged and discussed, regardless of their demise.

“I don’t think this is an attack on the church. I have emphasized that we are not here to talk about religion; we are here to talk about human rights abuses. We have covered stories on human rights abuses, and this is not any different from the stories we do. I think that if there is something wrong, we should have the courage as journalists to be able to tell it as it is. The death of a person does not mean that the issue is dead. There are equally important and many poor people who have suffered as a result of these atrocities. We talk about Hitler today; he is dead, but we still discuss the atrocities and the human rights abuses he meted out to people,” he added.

Watch video below

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Identified as trans-financial ? (@aba_the_great1)

Mixed reactions trail BBC report on TB Joshua

• Collapse building kills carpenter at Hwediem
• Asante Akyem North NPP executives petition NEC to sanction Andy Appiah Kubi

The investigative report by the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) Africa Eye, spanning over two years, detailed the accounts of victims. They claimed they were raped and also underwent forced abortions in a secretive Lagos compound for almost 20 years.

The BBC reports that a Briton, Rae, “was 21 years old when she abandoned her degree at Brighton University in 2002 and was recruited into the church. She spent the next 12 years as one of Joshua’s so-called ‘disciples’ inside his maze-like concrete compound in Lagos.”

The over-150-minute-long video, split into three parts and published on YouTube, is titled “Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua”. It also took into account the stories of former disciples and church workers.

The report delved deeper into the collapse of a guest house for church pilgrims in 2014, killing at least 116 people.

Joshua was also accused of faking his “miracle healings”, which were broadcast to millions of people around the world.

Reactions

Following the report, social media users shared their views on the investigation.

An X User, @ur_bwoi_towa wrote: “Few minutes into the TB Joshua documentary and I’ve already noticed some similarities in some campus ministries/cults.”

@snort_randy, said: “Me and my brothers would only tune in to EmmanuelTV whenever we needed a good laugh. We could still see through the gimmicks as young as we were; reason why I find it absurd how adults fell for his theatrics. Used to drive my mom nuts every time we laughed.”

@WondaDell: “Y’all think a single documentary with no valid evidence but just accusations can eradicate whatever God has used TB Joshua to do for the world. It’s not like we’re in a court where judges rule in accordance to whatever is been said by a witness.”

A YouTube user, @DebelAjiboye, wrote: “I just finished watching the whole episode of this newly released BBC Africa Eye Documentary about TB Joshua.

“Knowing some of those disciples personally, the shock I’m experiencing is beyond words. I found myself repeatedly pausing the video, uttering a stunned ‘wow’ at each revelation.”

Another user, @emmanymatthew2539: “I remember when I first watched this man on TV- NTA Ibadan was in 1992/93 on one Saturday. I was less than 8 years then.

“My grandma watched him on TV and within five minutes, she said let’s change the channel to BCOS this man is not from God. I said how, but he’s performing miracles. And her response still resonates in my memory till date — ‘Beware of false Prophets’, Matthew 7:15.”

@theowalker5753 wrote: “Even in grave prophet TB Joshua remains a man sent from heaven. His teachings have inspired me till this day. So all these fake schemes from y’all can’t take that away.

“It’s going to be the same message and doctrines I will pass on to my generations to come. Thank you and God bless you. God is our judge.”

ALSO READ:

• BBC set to release investigation on late TB Joshua; life of abuse, rape, staged…

• Megachurch leader TB Joshua raped and tortured worshippers, BBC finds

Dozens of ex-Synagogue Church of all Nations members – five British – allege atrocities, including rape and forced abortions, by Nigeria’s late TB Joshua.

The allegations of abuse in a secretive Lagos compound span almost 20 years.

The Synagogue Church of All Nations did not respond to the allegations but said previous claims have been unfounded.

TB Joshua, who died in 2021, was a charismatic and hugely successful preacher and televangelist who had an immense global following.

The BBC’s findings over a two-year investigation include:

• Dozens of eyewitness accounts of physical violence or torture carried out by Joshua, including instances of child abuse and people being whipped and chained
• Numerous women who say they were sexually assaulted by Joshua, with a number claiming they were repeatedly raped for years inside the compound
• Multiple allegations of forced abortions inside the church following the alleged rapes by Joshua, including one woman who says she had five terminations
• Multiple first-hand accounts detailing how Joshua faked his “miracle healings”, which were broadcast to millions of people around the world

One of the victims, a British woman, called Rae, was 21 years old when she abandoned her degree at Brighton University in 2002 and was recruited into the church. She spent the next 12 years as one of Joshua’s so-called “disciples” inside his maze-like concrete compound in Lagos.

“We all thought we were in heaven, but we were in hell, and in hell terrible things happen,” she told the BBC.

Rae says she was sexually assaulted by Joshua and subjected to a form of solitary confinement for two years. The abuse was so severe, she says she attempted suicide multiple times inside the compound.

The Synagogue Church of All Nations [Scoan] has a global following, operating a Christian TV channel called Emmanuel TV and social media networks with millions of viewers. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, tens of thousands of pilgrims from Europe, the Americas, South East Asia and Africa travelled to the church in Nigeria to witness Joshua performing “healing miracles”. At least 150 visitors lived with him as disciples inside his compound in Lagos, sometimes for decades.

More than 25 former “disciples” spoke to the BBC – from the UK, Nigeria, US, South Africa, Ghana, Namibia and Germany – giving powerful corroborating testimony about their experiences within the church, with the most recent experiences in 2019. Many victims were in their teens when they first joined. In some of the British cases, their transport to Lagos was paid for by Joshua, in co-ordination with other UK churches.

Rae and multiple other interviewees compared their experiences to being in a cult.

Jessica Kaimu, from Namibia, says her ordeal lasted more than five years. She says she was 17 when Joshua first raped her, and that subsequent instances of rape by TB Joshua led to her having five forced abortions while there.

“These were backdoor type… medical treatments that we were going through… it could have killed us,” she told the BBC.

Other interviewees say they were stripped and beaten with electrical cables and horse whips, and routinely denied sleep.

On his death in June 2021, TB Joshua was hailed as one of the most influential pastors in African history. Rising from poverty, he built an evangelical empire that counted dozens of political leaders, celebrities and international footballers among his associates.

He did, however, attract some controversy during his lifetime when a guesthouse for church pilgrims collapsed in 2014, killing at least 116 people.

The BBC’s investigation, which was carried out with international media platform Open Democracy, is the first time multiple former church insiders have come forward to speak on the record. They say they’ve spent years trying to raise the alarm, but have effectively been silenced.

A number of our witnesses in Nigeria claim they were physically attacked, and in one case shot at, after previously speaking out against the abuse and posting videos containing allegations on YouTube.

A BBC crew that attempted to record footage of the church’s Lagos compound from a public street in March 2022 was also fired at by the church’s security, and was detained for a number of hours.

The BBC contacted Scoan with the allegations in our investigation. It did not respond to them, but denied previous claims against TB Joshua.

“Making unfounded allegations against Prophet TB Joshua is not a new occurrence… None of the allegations was ever substantiated,” it wrote.

Four of the British citizens who spoke to the BBC say they reported the abuse to the UK authorities after escaping the church. They say no further action was taken.

In addition, a British man and his wife emailed eyewitness accounts of their ordeal and video evidence – including recordings of being held at gunpoint by men describing themselves as police who are also members of Scoan – to the British High Commission in Nigeria in March 2010 after fleeing the church. In his email, the man said his wife had been repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped by Joshua. He warned the commission that other British nationals were still inside the compound facing atrocities.

He also says no action was taken.

The UK Foreign Office did not respond to these claims, but told the BBC that it takes all reports of crime, including sexual assault and violence against British nationals overseas, very seriously.

Scoan continues to thrive today, under the leadership of Joshua’s widow, Evelyn. In July 2023, she led a tour of Spain.

Anneka, who left Derby in the UK to join Scoan at the age of 17, told the BBC she believes there are many other victims who have yet to speak out. She hopes further steps will be taken to uncover Joshua’s actions.

“I believe the Synagogue Church of All Nations needs a thorough investigation into why this man was able to function for so long the way he did,” she said.

Additional reporting by Maggie Andresen, Yemisi Adegoke and Ines Ward

Joshua died on June 5, 2021. As part of the investigation, the BBC interviewed at least 30 former members and workers of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN).

The first installment of the documentary is scheduled to be released on January 8. 

The 3-part documentary revealed the clandestine lifestyle of the now-deceased founder of SCOAN.

It details stories of abuse, harassment, rape, manipulation, and staged miracles.

Sources told the BBC that the church knew about all the allegations but never investigated them.

They alleged the sexual crime spanned over two decades.

A part of the documentary revealed how SCOAN shielded its congregation from the truth about the collapse of one of the church’s guesthouses in 2014.

A video that was shown multiple times to members on Emmanuel TV showed a short clip of the structure with something that seemed like an aircraft flying over it.

“On television, they were showing us the building had been bombed,” one of the sources who lost her daughter in the collapsed building told the BBC.

SCOAN is located at Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos State.

The church grew from a local evangelical into a multimillion-dollar church with worshipers from all around the world.

The aircraft story fed to the members was all a lie, Emmanuel, one of the young men who served TB Joshua told the BBC.

Emmanuel claimed the church had a structural defect. 

The foundation of the building was inadequate for the floors built on it, Rae, a Brit who attended the church and was a disciple, corroborated.

She added that Joshua insisted that the building be raised despite professional opinions.

“They told us don’t tell what you know,” Emmanuel, another worker at SCOAN said in the film.

“They knew something was wrong with the building but they were managing it.”

SCOAN later paid the families of the victims cash as compensation which they interpreted to be “hush money”.

A church worker who was part of those who handed the money to victims’ families in South Africa said TB Joshua asked that she instruct the grieving families not to speak to the media.

Then, Joshua personally threatened families who refused the money, sources told the BBC. 

“The building collapse is a good example of everyday life under TB Joshua. It is just a series of cover-ups. It is just this was so big it was almost impossible for him to make it go away,” Rae said 

The BBC found that people were dismembered under the rubble and dead bodies were transferred in SCOAN ambulances to shield the reality of the disaster from the press to protect both the image of the church and TB Joshua.

Survivors of TB Joshua’s sexual exploitation narrated how they were manipulated and silenced even when they knew the relationship they had with “daddy” was abusive.

These women were part of TB Joshua’s discipleship.

Multiple women narrated how he molested and raped them.

A few women who resisted his assault at first were threatened into submission, one of the women told the BBC.

TB Joshua told the women he was sexually assaulting them for their salvation, all the women said.

These women joined the synagogue when they were teenagers and spent years before finally leaving.

A woman identified as Abisola said she was in the church for 14 years and was raped throughout her stay.

When the women get pregnant as a result of being raped many times, they were forced to get an abortion in a dingy clinic inside the synagogue.

“We went into his room and I stood there. He said ‘off your clothes’ so I removed my clothes he just pointed so I lay down and then he raped me. He broke my virginity. I was screaming and he was whispering in my ears that I should stop acting like a baby. I was 17 years old. I was underage,” one of the women said. 

One of the survivors confronted TB Joshua after she managed to escape.

She recorded the encounter in videos she shared with the BBC.

In the video, a security officer was heard threatening to shoot at the lady.

Survivors said they were targeted, beaten, and shot at by thugs suspected of working for the pastor.

The BBC’s documentary revealed how the church stage-managed and exaggerated miracles that were televised.

People were told to exaggerate their problems so they could be healed, likewise, their healing so it could be “perfected by God”, a source who worked at the miracle department told the BBC.

“You’ve got this man who positioned himself as a father with many children and went on to rape, abuse, and molest all these people who call him daddy. How is somebody like that permitted to walk free,” Rae asked.

Rachel joined the church when she was 17 because she hoped to be cured of homosexuality.

Another part of the investigation delved into how TB Joshua maltreated and ostracised the daughter he had out of wedlock.

Ajoke, now 28 years old, told the BBC how she confronted her father, about allegations of sexual abuse and, was subsequently thrown out of the church.

She narrated how she was isolated and indoctrinated. Ajoke said she contemplated suicide.

“The disciples dragged me out of the office,” she said, narrating the day she confronted her father. “Put me in a room and isolated me from the rest of the church. I wonder how I lived through that time because they were hitting me with belts, chains… I couldn’t take a shower for days. He was trying so hard to stop people from listening to me. He felt threatened by the fact that I knew what was happening.”

The BBC will air the documentary for three consecutive weeks. 

SaharaReporters reported in August 2021 that the Senior Pastor of the Household of God Church International Ministries, Chris Okotie, described the late TB Joshua as a magician who disguised himself as a minister of God.

In a viral video, Okotie said the popular Nigerian prophet was never called by God into the gospel ministry.

He said in the video, “What is the truth about TB Joshua? Who was he? Was he a product of Christianity? Or a practitioner of shamanism? Was he a servant of the Lord Jesus? Or some itinerant religious quack?

“Was he a true prophet, who was misunderstood? Or a hypocrite masquerading under the habiliment of the Faith?

“When God begins a work in scripture, particularly from the Old Testament, he begins with patterns, what we call types, shadows.

“You say why because the patterns determine the flow of power and authenticity of that enterprise. He is a magician, a sorcerer, and calls himself a prophet.”

In March 2023, Mail Online reported that an aristocrat, Constance Marten who ran away for manslaughter was allegedly ‘groomed’ by TB Joshua, the leader of a Nigerian sect as a teenager.

Marten, 35, who had been charged with manslaughter of her baby ‘Victoria’ by way of gross neglect along with her lover Mark Gordon, spent six months in a compound near Lagos, Nigeria as a teen.

While there it is thought she was forced to stay in a dormitory of 50 girls who were watched over by armed guards, starved, woken for biblical readings and made to call the leader ‘daddy’, the report also said.

Marten and Gordon were arrested and detained after a seven-week manhunt for them and their child came to an end, ahead of a hearing at the Old Bailey later in March 2023 about their involvement in Victoria’s death.

Marten, who grew up on a £100million estate in Dorset and whose grandmother was goddaughter of the late Queen Mother, was believed to have travelled to Nigeria when she was in her teens.

In Lagos she joined the Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN).

Joe Hurst, a former British soldier who joined the group but left before Marten arrived in 2006, said she spoke to him years later to say she and other white people at the compound were humiliated by the controversial pastor.

Speaking to The Independent, Mr Hurst said she claimed she had been forced to eat Joshua’s leftovers and had been placed in social exile – a punishment given to members who were not ‘focused enough’ on the pastor or who spoke about their lives before entering the compound.

He added that when speaking about what happened in the compound, she asked: “How could God allow this to happen to us?”

Matthew McNaught, author of a book about the megachurch, said she had contacted him several years later as she was “trying to get her head around what happened to her”, adding: “she was confused and traumatised”.

In April 2021, YouTube suspended his channel, Emmanuel TV, after he claimed homosexuality was the result of possession by demonic spirits.

Marten’s ex-partner Francis Agolo, 44, was quoted by The Sun as saying the experience in Nigeria seemed to have been “traumatic’ for her, adding: ‘She (Marten) would clam up when talking about her time there.”

He added: “When I knew Constance, she was caring and loving. It seems very out of character.”

Marten had previously opened up about the experience in an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine, in which she revealed she was one of 50 girls who shared a dormitory in a religious cult.

She added: “The leader looked me in the eye and said, ‘Your family doesn’t matter anymore. I’m your father now.’”

Famous magazine publisher and former presidential aspirant, Dele Momodu, shared the news online with photos from her graduation ceremony.

Sharing the news online, Dele Momodu noted that Promise Joshua bagged a Master’s Degree in Public Administration (MPA) from Columbia University, New York, United States.

It was also gathered that TB Joshua’s daughter finished with a 4.08 GPA, which she’s grateful for.

Dele Momodu wrote on Instagram, “JOY IN THE HOUSE OF PROPHET T. B. JOSHUA…

“Massive congratulations to MS PROMISE JOSHUA, the affable daughter of PROPHET TEMITOPE BALOGUN JOSHUA who graduated from Columbia University, in the City of New York, with a Master’s of Public Administration (MPA). She finished her final semester with a 4.08 GPA, which she’s really thankful for. Here are some of the grad pictures from the graduation day!”

Below is his post on Facebook:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by AARE DR DELE MOMODU (@delemomoduovation)

According to reports, the fire destroyed a building housing the office of late man of God.

The Acting Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Farinloye confirmed the incident to the media.

“The fire incident happened at a building belonging to the late pastor. The late pastor usually went there to relax and meditate. Federal fire service officials moved in to put out the fire” he added.

Meanwhile, the leadership of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, (SCOAN) said it is yet to ascertain the cause of the fire. No casualties were recorded.

Speaking in an interview with media personality, Chude Jideonwo, Jim Iyke recounted the experience while noting that he had gone to the church after it was insisted that he must be present for his ailing mother to be healed.

In his words as reported by Gistreel:

It wasn’t a stunt, when orthodox medicine failed us, I took my whole family to India to be with my mum, and then she started getting better. This is the light of your life for crying out loud and I am not going to wager it for theatrics, for melodrama.

At some point, an offer was made from there to take her there by a senator friend of mine. I refused, the pressure was too much, so I said ‘Okay I want to go, if they will save her, I will go’.

We put her in a hospital close to there. I went there, there was a presidential suite I was accorded. When I went there, I was like ‘Okay, let’s get started, they said I must come down to the service. I said, ‘I don’t have to come down to the service, you people promised to heal her, does God need me to?’

I said ‘I will live in this church for two years if you heal my mum’. So after a while, they had a meeting and said, ‘You need to come down. I remember I was there, my sister was behind me when this guy came and was doing stuff. When he crossed me, I chuckled. 

Then he came back to me. My brother, I don’t know what happened after that.

This world is deep, there’s a spiritual something I’ve come to notice about this world that is way beyond us. What happened I don’t know, I saw the video and said that’s not me but that was me.

The church’s late founder TB Joshua had suspended the regular Sunday service in the church due to the coronavirus outbreak across the world.

He did not reopen the church till his death on June 5, 2021.

However, the church’s new leader Evelyn Joshua, widow of the founder, addressed the congregation, saying “Our gathering here this morning is as it should be by divine will.”

During her sermon titled ‘The decision of a champion’, she said, “Jesus Christ was ready to go through a season of pain in order to go through an eternity of gain.

“You begin to succeed with your life when the pain and hurts of others matter to you.”

For their support and loyalty, Evelyn thanked the five wise men who were mentored by Joshua: Harry, Daniel, John Chi, Christopher and Racine.

Many had thought one of them would succeed Joshua.

TB Joshua’s unexpected death in June at the age of 57 unleashed a succession battle that took months to resolve.

But the giant gates at his Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in Nigeria’s commercial capital have swung open again to welcome worshippers for the first time in five months.

He was famous for his prophecies and self-proclaimed miracles, attracting tens of thousands from across the world to Lagos, including top politicians from Africa and Latin America.

Succession is rarely discussed at Nigerian Pentecostal churches and often passes on uncontested to the spouse of the deceased founder.

But at SCOAN, Mrs Joshua, who is an ordained pastor, faced competition as she was not a member of the church’s board of trustees.

This was taken by her opponents as an indication that her husband did not consider her his successor.

The prophet and his ‘wise men’

Unlike other wives of Nigeria’s mega pastors, she mostly stayed in the background during their three-decade marriage.

TB Joshua, known by SCOAN members as “the prophet”, worked with a group of close disciples he called the “wise men” – one of whom it was believed was being groomed to succeed him.

But after his death, those loyal to Mrs Joshua obtained a court order making her a member of the board and so smoothing the path for her to assume control.

The church has since announced Mrs Joshua as the new leader “under the guidance of God”, enraging some factions of the church unhappy about the lack of transparency.

In particular the group known as Global Congress of SCOAN Members (GCSM), purportedly backed by some senior members, has questioned the choice.

But she has left no-one in doubt as to who is in charge, leading the first SCOAN service on 7 November since her husband’s death.

She reportedly lost no time in stamping her authority on the church, using the last few months to carry out some house-cleaning.

Videos have emerged of some members, mostly foreigners, who had lived in the vast compound for years, vacating amid jeers.

One member euphemistically described it as “an audit”.

Those removed from the premises were said to be opposed to Mrs Joshua’s leadership.

“After the demise of the prophet some of his disciples did not approach Evelyn with respect and maturity,” Patrick Iwelunmor, a former media aide to the Joshuas, told the BBC.

There have also been allegations of fraud and Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the EFCC, confirmed to the BBC that it was investigating a case of theft at the church.

Leading members of TB Joshua’s inner circle were accused of fleeing with bags of cash after his death.

It is unclear if this is what is under investigation, though Nigeran newspaper The Punch has reported that this was why some members of the church have gone into hiding.

Proposal after first date

Yet Mrs Joshua’s biggest hurdle will be proving her spiritual credentials to the thousands of followers who adored her husband.

They came for his charisma and self-proclaimed healing abilities and will expect nothing less from the new leader.

Gbenga Osinaike, editor-in-chief of the Church Times Nigeria, admits her appointment came as surprise.

“She was preaching every now and again but TB Joshua never deferred to her,” he told the BBC.

But for someone who was largely overlooked by many, “including her husband”, Mrs Joshua has shown an “inner strength and the capacity to handle the Synagogue”, he admits.

She has refused to inherit her husband’s title of “General Overseer”, saying that he is still in charge and that she has only “commenced the journey from where our father left the baton”.

And TB Joshua still looms large at the church, his posters adorn every corner of the building and his old sermons are rebroadcast on its media platforms.

Mrs Joshua also seems to have inherited his preaching style – breaking intermittently into songs of worship – her cadence also mirroring that of her late husband at her inaugural solo service.

The couple first met in 1990 when he impressed her by narrating her life story and writing her name on a piece of paper without her saying a word.

They spent 45 minutes together on that first meeting, by the end of which he had asked for her hand in marriage.

‘Reconciliation talents’

She is a twin and the first of seven children, growing up in Okala Okpuno in Delta State in the south-east of the country. Though not starting out as a pastor, she was trained and then ordained under her husband.

In 2009 she described herself as someone with special talents in the ministry of reconciliation – “parents-children relationships, marriage and things like that”.

Nigeria’s mega pastors often say they have had a biblical calling – like the prophets Samuel and Paul – to serve God.

According to TB Joshua, his came during a three-day trance when he heard a voice saying: “I am your God. I am giving you a divine commission to go and carry out the work of the heavenly father.”

Mrs Joshua has not said if she has received such a calling, but for some her association with her husband is enough.

“TB Joshua was a prophet by birth, but his wife has become a prophet by inclination. Husband and wife have become one, so by that union he has extended the anointing to her,” said Mr Iwelunmo.

Though some widows of Nigerian church leaders, such as Janet Onaolapo of Abundant Life Gospel Mission and Margaret Idahosa of the Church of God Mission International, have made a success of their ministries, these are outliers.

Most Nigerian Pentecostal churches are built around the charisma of their founders and tend to decline when they die.

Mr Osinaike suggests this may be the fate for SCOAN.

“When it comes to church matters people are looking for solution, they are looking for prophecies, they are looking for who has seen a vision for them,” he says.

“The tempo [at SCOAN] will definitely go down.”

On Monday, Evelyn announced in a video posted on her official Twitter handle, @Mama_Evelyn, that her late husband remains the founder and general overseer of the church.

She also made a clarion call to all partners and members to work hand-in-hand with her to move the ministry forward.

In the two minutes, 19 seconds video, accompanying the tweet, she said, “I am pleased to address you at this moment upon my appointment as the leader of the SCOAN.

“To all our members, partners, friends, and compatriots of faith, I say Good morning and win today. It has been three months since the glorious home call of our dear father, founder and General overseer, Senior Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, which occurred on June 5, 2021.

“These past three months have surely been challenging but we thank you all for remaining strong and for keeping the faith as we have been trained, built, instructed, and taught by God’s servant himself that trails are the soil upon which faith flourishes. We salute your faith.

I thank you for spending your life on things that will outlive You; I will keep the fire burning. You’re the man I loved, I’m Grateful for opportunity to love and be loved by You. You bless everyone who knows you, most of all me. I love you with all of my heart. Sleep on my Love! pic.twitter.com/6JOqkazova

— Mrs Evelyn™ Joshua (@Mama__Evelyn) July 7, 2021

“Today, like always, is a new dawn in the SCOAN. As we all know Prophet TB Joshua fought his good fight of the kingdom and finished strong to the glory of God. We have now commenced the journey from where our father left the baton.

“He had already prepared us all for this new phase and we must rise up to the occasion as a team under the command of God and the direction of the Holy Spirit.

“This journey is for us all. The SCOAN cannot be without you, all the members, partners and friends of the ministry.

“So, this now serves as a clarion call for you to rise as an army of God as we push this great commission forward.

“I am not your General Overseer. My dear husband and our dear father, the prophet for generations, senior Prophet TB Joshua remains the Founder and General Overseer of the SCOAN.”

Speaking with Daily Post, a source said the eviction was part of a move to assume new leadership of SCOAN.

“These disciples asked to leave were those who disrespected Evelyn while her husband was alive.

“They sidelined her, it’s a powerful tussle,” the source said.

Videos of the disciples vacating the church building have since gone viral.

ALSO READ:

• TB Joshua’s successor: Synagogue Church sets records straight

• Boy healed of arm fracture while watching TB Joshua’s funeral service

Prophet Joshua, who was endeared to a lot of people by his healing ministry, died on June 5, 2021, after a church service.

A few weeks after his death, the popular prophet was buried within the church premises in Lagos State.

Watch the video below:

Justice Tijjani Ringim gave the approval on Thursday while ruling on a petition by some concerned members of the church, especially Kola Kareem and Moji Oguntoyinbo, who filed for themselves and on behalf of all the members of SCOAN.

In the petition, they urged the court to appoint the widow of the founder of the church as a member of the trustees, in line with the constitution of the church which prescribes a minimum of three trustees for SCOAN.

The petitioners claimed that their petition followed the sudden demise of the late General Overseer of SCOAN, fondly called Prophet T. B. Joshua, who was also a church trustee.

They argued that the two surviving members of the Board of Trustees lacked the legal capacity to make decisions necessary to move the church forward, as the constitution provides for a minimum of three members on the Board of Trustees.

“In the circumstances, it became imperative for an additional trustee to be appointed to fill the vacancy created by the untimely death of the deceased founder,” they maintained.

The members instituted the suit against the Incorporated Trustees of SCOAN, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), and Mrs Evelyn Joshua.

They were represented in court by Emeka Ekweozor, while Ossazu Owie represented the first and second respondents.

Another counsel, O.N. Chukwu appeared for the CAC.

All the respondents, through their lawyers, informed the court that they were not opposed to the petition filed under Section 839 (6) (B) of the Companies and Allied matters Act (CAMA) 2020 (as Amended).

With no objections from the respondents, the court wasted no time in granting the approval and the expectation is that the move will provide further clarity on the leadership succession in the church.

The remains of the Founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, also known as TB Joshua, has arrived to be laid-in-state.

His corpse was driven into the church premises in the Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos State on Thursday.

Prophet Joshua, who died on June 5, is scheduled to be buried on Friday, July 9.

The controversial cleric had died a few days ago after conducting a service in his church.

The popular prophet was found unconscious in his private apartment while the service was ongoing.

Following his death, there have been several controversies surrounding the death of the SCOAN founder.

The Senior Pastor of Christian Life Church, Jackson Senyonga, described prophet Joshua as the “biggest witch in Africa.”

Also, the Senior pastor of Divine Mercy Church, Olatobiloba Peters, has revealed that Prophet Joshua is in hell fire.

This was during the first session of a three-day All-Night Praise held in memory of the late Nigeria televangelist, Temitipe Balogun (TB) Joshua.

The event, which took place at the church auditorium in Lagos State, pulled a mammoth crowd to eulogise the man of God.

He led patrons through a powerful reggae ministration.

ALSO READ:

• Prophet TB Joshua made me a real man – Shasha Marley confesses

• Fire ravages parts of TB Joshua’s church

The captivating performance knocked patrons off their seats and they danced rhythmically to the songs.

Watch the video attached below:

The fire incident occurred during a candle-lit procession that was being held in tribute to the influential evangelist who died last month at 57.

Worshippers who had gathered in the Synagogue church for the service that was being led by TB Joshua’s widow Evelyn Joshua scampered for safety.

The church attributed the fire to a minor electrical fault. It said the fire had been put out and there were no casualties.

TB Joshua will be buried at the church premises on Friday.

The schedule was kicked off with a candlelight procession held at the SCOAN Faith resort, Monday night, July 5.

Thousands of followers joined widow of the late preacher, Mrs Evelyn Joshua for a night of tribute in his honour.

Sharing photos from his candlelight procession, TB Joshua Ministries wrote on Facebook: “Glory be to Jesus Christ – our father in the Lord has gone home to be with his Creator! His memory and legacy will continue for generations to come, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ!”

The pastor, televangelist, philanthropist and father died on June 5 at the age of 57 after he failed to wake up from his sleep.

The final funeral rite for Prophet Joshua will be held on July 9 at the SCOAN premises.

A member of the family told the Press that the date was arrived at, at a meeting held in Prophet Joshua’s residence last Friday and the burial arrangement would take place between July 5 and July 9, 2021.

This was during a candlelight procession as part of weeklong activities ahead of his final funeral rites.

The church, in a statement, attributed the outbreak to a minor electrical fault which was brought under control.

“The SCOAN worked closely with relevant government agencies including the Lagos State Fire Services,” the statement noted.

The statement said no casualty was recorded, adding “We assure the general public that there is no cause for alarm and the services celebrating the life and legacy of Prophet TB Joshua will continue as scheduled. “Nothing outside God’s control can happen to His children.” – TB Joshua.

Read the statement below:

ALSO READ:

• COVID-19: Synagogue church inspected ahead of TB Joshua’s funeral rites

• Schedule for TB Joshua’s burial out!

The state is expecting an influx of visitors for the funeral. Prophet Joshua had a reputation for attracting foreigners in search of miracles.

After the inspection and meeting with the church’s officials on Saturday, Prof. Abayomi said the government is taking the week-long funeral as a high priority event to ensure there is no importation of Covid-19 variants amid fears of a third wave.

He said: “On behalf of the Lagos State Government we want to offer our deep condolences to the family of the prophet and members of the congregation. In these very precarious times that we are in, with a global pandemic that is evolving dynamically; what we now know is that there are different strains of the virus circulating around the world, and Lagos State has a very strong third wave prevention strategy.

“The likely cause of a third wave is going to be an importation from visitors who are infected with the virus, so we are particularly careful about working with the Synagogue to make sure that we have a collaboration that will reduce the opportunity to zero of us either importing a virus or even allowing someone who is positive to interact with the community.

“So we have had series of engagements with the officials and executive of SCOAN, we are also in touch with the Federal Government; the Presidential Steering Committee, and the Federal Ministry of Health.

“And the Incident Commander, Governor has said that this a priority event and we have to ensure that we give SCOAN all the support it requires to make sure that the series of planned events for the funeral scheduled between the 5th of July to the 11th of July are performed under the strictness guidelines to limit any possibilities of introduction of foreign COVID variants amongst the congregation or the movement of the virus in such an environment that would make transmission easier.”

The commissioner added that COVID-19 prevention protocols will be heightened at the nation’s borders and airports and that visitors must self-isolate for seven days on arrival and be tested.

Shortly after the funeral announcement was made for the preacher who died on June 5, his wife, Evelyn Joshua, was tipped to head the church.

But, in a latest press conference, the leadership of SCOAN have objected to Mrs Joshua’s succession of her late husband.

The leadership of the church urged the members to disregard the rumour of a succession plan of the church and focus on plans by the church to give the renowned cleric a befitting burial.

RELATED

• TB Joshua’s wife to lead SCOAN – Reports

• Schedule for TB Joshua’s burial out!

Speaking at the conference “tagged ‘Celebrating The Life and Legacy of Prophet TB Joshua – Not Mine But God’s Own’, an international member, Dr Gary Tonge, who spoke on behalf of the church said a decision is yet to be made on who leads them.

“Questions concerning succession, if there is anything to say on the subject it will be clearly, plainly and directly announced. Generally, on this and on other issues, there are many different stories which are going around in the media about succession. Until you hear an official announcement then it is best to disregard those things.’’

Her nomination was announced by the church’s elders who met recently and declared Evelyn as the successor to the popular Nigerian televangelist.

The man of God died on June 5, 2021 at the age of 57.

Before his death, Evelyn and Joshua were married for 31 years and had three children together.

A top aide of Evelyn was quoted by Nigerian website, Correctng.com as having confirmed the new development.

“Someone must take charge immediately and give spiritual direction on the mode of service continuity. So much spiritual and financial effort went into building SCOAN and it cannot just waste away,” the said aide allegedly said.

The woman of God had already been serving as the second-in-command to her husband before his death.

She was performing the role of a preacher and also offering counselling to church members even while her late husband was alive.

Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) has not made any official declaration of Evelyn Joshua as its new head.

TB Joshua’s funeral service has been scheduled to take place from July 5 to 11 before his interment at the church.

Meanwhile, reports have it that the traditional rulers in Arigidi Akoko, the late televangelist’s hometown in Ondo are opposed to him being buried at the church.

Nollywood actress, Jaiye Kuti, has taken to her Instagram page with a surprising post about the late cleric who she never met till he passed away.

The movie star revealed on her page that the late pastor’s spirit visited her and she saw a gentle pass of him alone in her room.

The actress, who said that there was something good about the late cleric’s soul, said that the image she saw made her head swell.

MORE:

• 3 arrested for brandishing guns in viral social media video

• 18-year-old woman dies during s3x on wedding night

• Everyone dies in the end – Sad message bullion van policeman left on WhatsApp pops up

The Nollywood star likened the late Joshua to Christ who was poor but fed and took care of everyone around him.

She also disclosed that she knew two people who gave their lives to God through him and prayed that his soul would find rest.

The actress wrote:

“I have never met you one on one but your spirit visited me when you died. I was in Offa alone in my room. My head was swollen and I saw a gentle pass of Him. There was something good about that soul. Christ was poor but feeding the people and taking care of everyone. You did same to many. I know two people who truly gave their lives to Christ through Him. May the Good Lord rest your soul in peace. Pastor T.B. Joshua.”

Check out the post below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jaiye Kuti (@jayeola_monje)

According to him, the death of the late Founder and Leader of the Synagogue Church of All Nations is a big blow to Christianity.

Archbishop Amoako touted the late Prophet Joshua as one of the most powerful, humble and compassionate pastors the world and the continent of Africa have ever seen.

“What made TB Joshua an outstanding man of God was the grace and anointing upon him. He was different in a million. The man TB Joshua had the strength and grace of 10,000 pastors combined and when you look at where he started from and where he was able to get to, not all men of God are able to reach that level,” he said.

He expressed shock at the posture of pastors in Nigeria who, he claimed, have failed to honour the legacy of their late colleague.

“Christians are sometimes hypocrites. The impact TB Joshua had was more than most Nigerian pastors and pastors from other African countries. If you see how he touched lives and helped the needy it is not an easy thing to do,” he stated.

Archbishop Amoako maintained that prophet Joshua was a great man of God who won more souls for Christ.

“When I hear people saying he was from the devil I ask myself who determines? TB Joshua had been preaching Christ and talking about repentance throughout his lifetime. So which devil would allow you to use his power to win souls for God? They told Jesus that he was using evil spirit and he said no, Satan cannot cast out Satan,” he added.

Prophet Joshua died at the age of 57, just a few days to his 58th birthday.

A member of the family told the Press that the date was arrived at, at a meeting held in Joshua’s residence last Friday and the burial arrangement would take place between July 5 and July 9, 2021.

“The extended family members, his (Joshua) wife and children held a meeting on Friday and it was decided that he should be buried in Lagos and the burial programme will be between July 5 and 9,” the source told PUNCH.

“It was on the insistence of the wife and the children that the other family members agree on the place of burial because they said they saw revelations that he should be buried in Lagos. Since they said it was spiritual, the family agreed with them.”

The decision is contrary to the expectation of the monarch of Arigidi Akoko, Oba Yisa Olanipekun, and some other traditional rulers in the Akoko area, who wanted the late pastor buried in his hometown, Arigidi Akoko.

One of the community leaders in Akokoland, Ladi Bello, pleaded that the ongoing project left behind in Arigidi Akoko by the late pastor should not be abandoned.

Meanwhile, the church did not hold any of its three services on Sunday as the church remained shut since Prophet Joshua’s death on June 5.

He is the only pastor who has visited the widow since the sudden demise of the popular televangelist and Founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations.
 

Photos from the condolence visit below:

He claimed the late leader of Synagogue Church of All Nations attacked him without any provocation.

“TB Joshua attacked me in the spiritual realm but I won. I told TB Joshua that he can never defeat me,” the traditionalist said in a self-recorded video on the Facebook.

Watch full video below:

The man of God, during a church service, took some minutes to extend his condolences to the bereaved family.

Bishop Obinim spoke highly of TB Joshua whose death shook the foundation of the world on Sunday, June 6, 2021.

In a video posted on social media, Obinim dressed in a suit, stood on his pulpit with one other man believed to be his junior pastor and interpreter beside him.

Delivering his condolence message, Bishop Obinim made some mistakes which is difficult to ignore.

He said “I’m here to wish Synagogue Church of All Nation members and TB Joshua wife and the family. In fact IGWC, Angel Obinim’s church we’re here to condolences you [sic].”

ALSO READ:

• TB Joshua’s wife reveals his last moments

• Allotey Jacobs drops bombshell on TB Joshua, Atta Mills’ relationship

The rib-cracking video has since gone viral amid trolls due to how the self-acclaimed angel expressed himself in the Queen’s language.

Watch the video attached for more:

Before his demise on July 24, 2012, Prof Mills’ spiritual father was the Founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations.

The late President, before his death, also visited Prophet Joshua’s church and addressed the church members from the altar as the latter stood by him.

”There is strength in sharing views and ideas with like-minded people. My brothers and sisters, we’re all the same children of God. Let’s help one another, let’s hold each other’s hands, and whatever happens to us, let’s give praise to the almighty God,” Professor Mills said.

However, following the demise of the televangelist on Sunday, June 6, 2021, the former Central Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress has revealed they had issues.

ALSO READ:

• TB Joshua’s wife reveals his last moments

• When late President Atta Mills met late TB Joshua [Video]

According to Uncle Allotey, as he is affectionately called, though the two were good friends, they were at loggerheads at a point.

He made the revelation on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen but said he wouldn’t make public the circumstances that led to the loggerheads.

Uncle Allotey also did not state at what point the duo had those issues he spoke of.

According to a source who revealed this information to Daily Post, Mrs Joshua shared the incident leading up to her husband’s death during a meeting with some foreign visitors.

She stated that Pastor Joshua didn’t show any sign of illness and spent about three hours praying on the mountain before the last service he ministered in.

She said:

“He ended the race prayerfully. She revealed that he spent about three hours in prayers before the last service on the mountain and was looking very healthy. She said he never showed any sign of illness or worry and that his main concern was about the prayer line they offered to Indians against the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Afterward, he came up to shower and was left alone to have some time to prepare for service as worship had started. Few minutes later, he stepped out for ministrations. While ministering, he spoke about a time to come and time to leave.

“According to her, his statements were spiritual and suddenly, he left the stage and went to his inner chambers. She waited a few minutes and decided to check on him. And she met him sitting on the chair like someone reflecting but unconscious. She quickly beckoned on his disciples who came and tried to revive him to no avail. Of a truth, he went home to be with the Lord and left us with a message, watch and pray.”

The wife of the late founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations also reacted about the death of her husband on twitter.

Read her tweet below:

Losing a loved one is never easy; whether sudden or foreseen it’s always heartbreaking. Grief can wreak havoc on our overall well being. That’s why it’s important to stay rooted to the Almighty. Only He can lessen our heartache and comfort us in these times.
Seek refuge in Him. pic.twitter.com/HEpB8Ksgfr

— Mrs Evelyn™ Joshua (@Mama__Evelyn) June 6, 2021

The president of UACC made the claim when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, June 7, 2021.

He said having completed all his ministry, Prophet Joshua had to leave when the ovation was loudest.

The Christian leader described the late Founder of the Synagogue Church of all Nations as an intercessor and bridge-builder between God and humans.

The General Overseer said the way Prophet Joshua died indicated that his death was divine.

He said:

“According to reports the man of God died after a ministration, that is an indication he died on spiritual duty. Not everyone has such divine home call.’’

Pastor Bayo-Owoyemi eulogised the life and times of the popular televangelist.

The cause of death is yet to be disclosed but sources say the preacher and founder of SCOAN is reported to have suffered a stroke two months ago before his demise.

His life in the Ministry, though successful, was plagued by some controversies, some of which are enumerated below:

Church building collapse:

Prophet Joshua was in the spotlight after 116 people died when a six-storey guesthouse at his Lagos church complex collapsed in 2014.

An inquiry found extra floors had been added without planning permission, and engineers responsible for the construction are currently on trial for manslaughter.

Ghana stampede

In 2013, police in Ghana were overwhelmed by the large crowd when a stampede killed four people at a church in Accra.

Thousands of people flocked to the evangelical church for “holy water”, which they believed had healing powers, leading to the crush.

Covid-19 prophecy

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Prophet Joshua also predicted that the disease would end on March 27, 2020.

He later said he meant the virus would be gone from Wuhan, China.

HIV/Aids Cure    

He also professed to heal all manner of illnesses including HIV/Aids, a claim which is yet to be backed by medical experts.

Allegation of hate speech

The church’s YouTube channel with over 1.8 million subscribers was suspended in April over allegations of hate speech against LGBT people.

In one of his videos, a woman is seen being hit violently to “cure” her of her sexuality.

Rape allegation

A Nigerian Singer, Vicki Royce, accused Prophet Joshua of sexual misconduct.

The allegation took a new twist following a shocking confession of the lady involved revealing how she was handsomely paid to smear the name of the cleric.

Kwaku Boahen said he least expected the televangelist and Founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) to end his God given assignment on earth in such a short time.

“I was shocked and still worried that such a powerful man of God died at a young age,” he added.

Leadership of the church on Sunday, June 6, 2021, confirmed the death of their leader six days to his birthday.

Born on June 12, 1963, Prophet Joshua died age 57 but the cause of death is still unknown.

Speaking on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem programme Monday, he grew fond of him when late former President Atta Mills visited his church.

He described the late famous Nigerian preacher as a “role model who was dedicated to the work of God.”

The NDC man said he is worried about the numerous people who depended on Prophet Joshua’s benevolence.

Mr Boahen urged the leadership of SCOAN to continue the good works started by late televangelist and support the needy.

This comes a few days after the death of the renowned man of God.

TB Joshua passed away on Saturday night, few hours after hosting a church programme.

TB Joshua and his wife, EVelyn Joshua have been married for over three decades and are blessed with three daughters.

One of the children, Serah Joshua is a lawyer by profession and married to a South African businessman.

ALSO READ:

• TB Joshua’s wife breaks silence on his death

• Why I don’t put my wife, daughters in the spotlight – TB Joshua

The popping up of the video follows the sudden demise of the televangelist on Sunday, June 6, 2021.

Before his demise on July 24, 2012, former president John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills’ spiritual father was the founder of The Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN).

The late President was captured in a video alongside TB Joshua as he addressed the church members from the altar.

”There is strength in sharing views and ideas with like-minded people. My brothers and sisters, we’re all the same children of God. Let’s help one another, let’s hold each other’s hands, and whatever happens to us, let’s give praise to the almighty God,” Professor John Atta Mills said.

The video which is making the rounds online has stirred emotions.

Iginla claimed he also spoke with TB Joshua about his visions.

According to him, Joshua, who is the founder of the Synagogue Church Of All Nations, SCOAN, told him he wasn’t afraid of death and was ready to die at any time.

“…a vision in 2015, 2016 and 2018 that a great man of God is quitting the scene, it was T.B Joshua,” Iginla said in a statement.

Iginla added that when he communicated the vision to him, T.B Joshua said: “Thank You, my brother. If it’s his wish to keep me, he will keep me.

“There is nothing I am afraid of anymore. I think I have done the work for which the Lord sent me. I will always take a bow to the sovereignty of God”.

He referred to the deceased as a man of humility, ambassador of love to the less privileged, and a blessing to the body of Christ.

Joshua died on Saturday evening in Lagos shortly after a church service at the SCOAN.

The renowned televangelist is reported to have passed on on Saturday, June 5, 2021, aged 57 with the cause of death yet to-be known.

The church took to his social media pages to announce his demise, adding that he spent his last moments in the service of God.

Prophet Joshua is said to have passed on shortly after concluding a programme at his church.

Parts of the social media post read: PROPHET TB JOSHUA – JUNE 12th 1963 to JUNE 5th 2021. Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets – Amos 3:7.

The news of his demise has attracted commiserating messages from people all over the world.

This comes a few days after he called for fasting and prayer for Nigeria ahead of June 12 which was to mark his 58th birthday.

Speaking to his congregation about his birthday which is usually celebrated in a big way, he said it will not be easy for him at this time to celebrate the big day as usual. He noted that the nation’s current insecurity challenge is disturbing and that many people who would have wanted to come for his birthday are scared of Nigeria at this time.

RELATED:

• Prophet TB Joshua passes on?

• Prophet TB Joshua’s message to Nigerians ahead of June 12

The renowned clergy asked Nigerians and his lovers across the globe to fast and pray for Nigeria on June 12, 2021, as a way of celebrating his birthday.

Read the post below:

According to him, he was only doing his work as a man of God to free a man from spiritual bondage.

Why was the account closed?

UK-based openDemocracy filed a complaint after reviewing seven videos posted on TB Joshua Ministries’ YouTube channel between 2016 and 2020, which show the preacher conducting prayers to “cure” gay people.

A YouTube spokesperson told openDemocracy that the channel had been closed because its policy “prohibits content which alleges that someone is mentally ill, diseased, or inferior because of their membership in a protected group including sexual orientation”.

But TB Joshua took to his twitter page to stress that the church will never promote hate speech.

He noted that, the church is taking steps to appeal against YouTube’s decision.

See tweet below

This is the video that led to Emmanuel TV’s suspension from @YouTube as it allegedly contained ‘Hate Speech’ https://t.co/rFDW1FA8js

Our mission is to share God’s LOVE with everyone, irrespective of race or religion, and we strongly oppose all forms of hate speech! @TeamYouTube

— TB Joshua (@SCOANTBJoshua) April 15, 2021

A rights body filed a complaint after reviewing at least seven videos showing the preacher conducting prayers to “cure” gay people.

Facebook has also removed at least one of the offending posts showing a woman being slapped while TB Joshua said he was casting out a “demonic spirit”.

The preacher said he was appealing against YouTube’s decision.

His YouTube account had 1.8 million subscribers.

TB Joshua is one of Africa’s most influential evangelists, with top politicians among his followers.

Why was the account closed?

UK-based openDemocracy filed a complaint after reviewing seven videos posted on TB Joshua Ministries’ YouTube channel between 2016 and 2020, which show the preacher conducting prayers to “cure” gay people.

A YouTube spokesperson told openDemocracy that the channel had been closed because its policy “prohibits content which alleges that someone is mentally ill, diseased, or inferior because of their membership in a protected group including sexual orientation”.

A post on TB Joshua Ministries Facebook account said: “We have had a long and fruitful relationship with YouTube and believe this decision was made in haste.”

What does the offending video show?

The video is an update of a prayer session of a woman called Okoye, first broadcast in 2018.

In it TB Joshua slaps and pushes Okoye and an unnamed woman at least 16 times and tells Okoye: “There is a spirit disturbing you. She has transplanted herself into you. It is the spirit of woman,” openDemocracy reports.

The video which was viewed more than 1.5 million before the YouTube channel was taken down, later shows her testifying before the congregation that “the spirit of woman” had been destroying her life but she had been healed after the preacher’s prayers.

She declares that she had stopped having “affection” to women and “now I have affections for men”.

In an interview with ThisDay newspaper, Prophet Joshua said they will be popular in God’s time.

“As for my divine nature, I am a partaker of the inheritance of the saints. This is an apostolic ministry; it is not a ministry where you read the Bible, go to theology school, get your certificate and you start preaching! No. It is purely divine. So, it is so difficult for me to display my wife, she has to be ready for God. As much as you are ready for God, God will display you,” he said.

Prophet Joshua, who has three daughters, said he has made sure they have the best of education.

“I have a wife and I have children. My first daughter is doing her PhD and my second daughter is doing her Master Degree. In all, I have three daughters. The last one is still in secondary school. I would have loved my wife to be like me but I cannot make her what I am; it is God. I can’t anoint her; God is the one that anoints people.

“This is not a biological issue; it is an inheritance from the saints – being a partaker of the inheritance from the saints. So, I should not use anything in my biological life to stop my spiritual life,” he added.

The preacher said the prayer mountain was where he started his ministry and that it would be unveiled on completion.

Reaching out via a Facebook post, prophet Joshua revealed that all the COVID-19 patients in isolation centres will receive healing when released to him for interactive prayers.

“The blessing of Jesus is for those who knock and ask (Matthew 7:7).

“We want to encourage our communities, states, local and international bodies, medical doctors, scientists, and the people in charge to organise those who are in isolation and let us arrange how to connect them to us on Emmanuel TV.

ALSO READ:

• TB Joshua sends message to Lionel Messi
• Gender Ministry to empower alleged witches
• Runaway father of triplets returns after mother receives financial help [Video]

“In whatever way you support to make this happen, we are a team; we are not doing more than you (1 Corinthians 3:8). In any way you need our service in transmission, we are at your service.

“Together we shall pray for them. Together we shall be set free from this COVID-19. The same anointing that heals one is also able to heal all at the same time.

“As the Scripture says, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and after the mass prayer, they were all healed (Luke 4:40),” he wrote.

The cleric on his Facebook page further shared numerous testimonies of COVID-19 patients who had recovered through his prayers.

Following a 8-2 drastic defeat to Bayern Munich, the number 10 player and captain of the team has decided to bow out.

His decision has been rejected by many fans and sport analysts across the world, and the latest to make his displeasure public is the Christian leader.

In an Instagram post which contained his candid advice, Prophet Joshua explained Messi is not psychologically ready to join a new team.

• Reports: Messi agrees personal terms with Man City

• Messi can only leave Barcelona if €700m release clause is paid,…

“It is not good advice for @leomessi to leave Barcelona bitter and offended. It is impossible to establish a healthy relationship with a person who left a previous relationship bitter and offended. This is my candid advice to Lionel Messi. History is our boss,” he said.

Just to make his communication clearer in case it reaches the desk of the Argentine, prophet Joshua translated his speech into Spanish.

The leader and founder of The Synagogue Church of All Nations making the assertion, emphasised that he received the revelation on the cause of the pandemic from the Holy Spirit.

The televangelist insisted that world leaders and scientists know the root cause of the pandemic but are feigning ignorance about the pandemic.

The man of God recently came under harsh criticisms when his prophesy that the novel coronavirus pandemic was going to be resolved by 27th March 2020 but that did not happen.

Read below what Prophet T.B. Joshua said about COVID-19 and World leaders:

“You know I am not a politician. I just have to give you as the Spirit gave me because I received this message four days ago from the Holy Spirit. World leaders and scientists know what they are doing; they know what is happening.

“That is why they keep promoting fear and panic. Before coronavirus, there were deaths – but they never mentioned the number of deaths to us. Now, we begin to count the number of ‘death’ instead of counting the number of ‘life’.

“They know the gravity of the situation. The whole thing has to do with error in advanced technology. You know, I am not a scientist. The whole thing has to do with error, mistake in advanced technology.

“Now innocent people are dying, especially the elderly. Nothing is worth the blood of innocent souls, innocent people. There is no acceptable excuse for doing this.

“This is an opportunity for our world leaders, our scientists to look at the trouble spots in the world, e.g., Syria so that the displaced people can return to their countries. If not, I am seeing God’s anger.

“Let us abide by what the Bible says in 2 Chronicles 7:14. I am a minister of God; I am not a politician. I should not go too far from my profession. I should not speak what God has not asked me to say. I will leave the rest but I will let you know what is to come.”

Jim Iyke said he took his late Mum to the Synagogue Church for deliverance after someone advised him to do so.

According to the actor, he was ready to go to hell in search of cure for his mother at that point.

He spoke on Channels TV, “At that point even I’m told there’ll be a cure in hell I’ll go. You are talking about your mother. So we went.”

“I can remember I went there with my security man, my sister and PA. And when we got there, I was upstairs but there was constant insistence that I come to church. And I said, ‘but that wasn’t the arrangement because I kept my mum in the hospital and was expecting that you’ll lay your hand on her and she’ll get better’, but they said ‘no you must come to church,” he added.

“Then my sister forced me and we went to church downstairs. I was there when the whole stuff of touching people started, I found it a little laughable seriously because this is a national TV and people watch from all corner. I can remember my sister pinched me and said, ‘you’ve got to stop.’

“And I said common men, this is childish, this is not what we came here for. Let’s move mom out of here and keep looking for medical help. Then we were about going to South Africa, there was this young man that was recommended to us, a specialist as well.

“Then the gentleman in question looked at me and saw the amusement on my face and touched me. Now I can’t explain what happened within that space of time. Within that five minutes, whatever happened happened. I’m not here to start proffering explanations to spiritual things that are way beyond me. I’m a man that understand how things work. That I cannot explain and nobody can suggest anything otherwise because personally I know what happened to me.

“Within that time lacks explanations, they said I said stuffs, did stuffs I found out its extremely embarrassing.”

Former Liberian warlord and Senator Prince Yormie Johnson who is not qualified for the runoff on technicalities, has endorsed the candidacy of George Weah for president.

This comes barely a week after his visit to televangelist at the Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) in Nigeria.

During the service a week ago, Prophet T.B. Joshua addressed him: “My brother is here because he loves his country and wants to know God’s choice for his country. He wants to hear God’s opinion about his country. He is not here to impose himself. What does God say about his country, Liberia?”

Speaking further, Prophet T.B. Joshua said, “Without corresponding power, we cannot pray to God. We cannot pray against God’s will. God’s choice is our choice. If I am a true man of God, I must hear from God. Every step we take every movement and action – intimation comes first. There must be a suggestion from the Spirit to move before we move.”

The famous Liberian Senator was part of a multi-cultural congregation at The Synagogue Church Of All Nations, SCOAN, led by T.B. Joshua.

During his sermon which was broadcast live on popular Christian channel Emmanuel TV, Mr. Joshua warmly welcomed Mr. Weah and spoke directly to him.

“My brother is here today because he loves his country and wants God’s choice for his country,” Mr. Joshua stated. “He is not here to impose himself. What does God say about his country, Liberia? What is God’s opinion? That is why he is here.”

The cleric went further to reiterate that he was not favouring any particular side of the political spectrum but his own role was to pray for “the will of God” to be done in the nation of Liberia.

“We are not herbalists or witch-doctors; we are people of God. God’s choice is our choice. We cannot pray against God’s will,” Joshua stressed, with Weah nodding firmly in agreement.

“Without God’s corresponding power, we cannot pray to Him. For every step we take – every movement and action – intimation comes first,” Joshua further expounded.

“There must be suggestion from the Spirit to move before we move. If truly I am a man of God, I must hear from God – move or don’t move.”

Mr. Joshua noted that Liberia’s incumbent Vice President and Weah’s contender in the upcoming presidential run-off, Joseph Boakai, had also contacted him to request a meeting.

“God’s opinion is what we should seek in our country – simple! God is the Answer, the Final,” the influential Nigerian pastor added.

Also present in the service was Yormie Johnson, a former Liberian warlord and also one of the nation’s prominent presidential candidates.

Mr. Joshua was instrumental in MR. Johnson’s conversion to Christianity and mediated his reconciliation with the family of the late Liberian President, Samuel Doe.

“You cannot twist or bribe God; He is not a man… The best place to go is to meet people God has given the grace to be a communicator between visible and invisible,” Mr. Joshua concluded. “Meet them and let them tell you what is the way out – the next thing to do.”

The presidential run-off elections between Messrs. Weah and Boakai is scheduled to hold on November 7, 2017.

Other prominent visitors to The SCOAN in the past have included Tanzania’s President, John Magufuli; the late President of Ghana, John Atta Mills; Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangarai and Julius Malema, South Africa’s fiery opposition leader.