-Megachurch leader raped, tortured worshippers, According to BBC Investigation
Nigeria
It’s nearly three years since TB Joshua, the founder of one of the world’s largest Christian evangelical churches, passed on. But there are bunches of alleged abuses popping up against the trusted man of God, a powerful prophet many of his followers called ‘Father’.
In a two-year investigation, the world’s reputable news corporation – British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), has uncovered widespread abuse and torture attributed to the late Joshua.
Numerous former members of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, including five individuals from Britain, have made serious allegations, accusing Joshua of atrocities such as rape and forced abortions.
These claims of abuse, spanning almost two decades and occurring within a secretive Lagos compound, are supported by factual accounts. Despite the specific allegations, the Synagogue Church of All Nations chose not to respond, maintaining that previous claims against Joshua were unfounded. TB Joshua, a charismatic and highly successful preacher and televangelist with a significant global following, passed away in 2021.
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
• Rae, a British woman and one of the victims, made the difficult decision to abandon her studies at Brighton University in 2002 at the age of 21. Recruited into the Synagogue Church of All Nations, she spent the subsequent 12 years as one of TB Joshua’s self-proclaimed “disciples” within the intricate, maze-like concrete compound in Lagos.
• Reflecting on her experience, Rae shared with the BBC, “We all thought we were in heaven, but we were in hell, and in hell terrible things happen.” During her time in the compound, Rae alleges that she was sexually assaulted by TB Joshua and endured a form of solitary confinement that persisted for two years. The severity of the abuse led her to attempt suicide multiple times within the confines of the compound.
• The Synagogue Church of All Nations (Scoan), boasting a global following, operates the Christian TV channel Emmanuel TV and maintains extensive social media networks with millions of viewers. In the 1990s and early 2000s, tens of thousands of pilgrims from Europe, the Americas, South East Asia, and Africa journeyed to the Nigerian church to witness TB Joshua’s purported “healing miracles.” Remarkably, at least 150 visitors lived as disciples within his compound in Lagos, some for periods extending into decades.
More than 25 former “disciples,” representing a diverse array of nationalities including the UK, Nigeria, US, South Africa, Ghana, Namibia, and Germany, courageously shared their harrowing experiences within the Synagogue Church of All Nations with the BBC.
These accounts, with the most recent incidents reported in 2019, provide compelling and corroborating testimony. Many of the victims were in their teenage years when they initially joined the church, and in certain British cases, their transportation to Lagos was facilitated by TB Joshua in collaboration with other UK churches.
Rae and numerous other interviewees drew parallels between their experiences and being part of a cult. Jessica Kaimu, hailing from Namibia, recounted a distressing ordeal lasting over five years. She alleges that she was 17 when TB Joshua first assaulted her, and subsequent incidents of rape led to her enduring five forced abortions.
In describing the nature of the medical procedures following these alleged rapes, Jessica referred to them as “backdoor type… medical treatments,” emphasizing the life-threatening risk they posed. Other interviewees disclosed instances of being stripped and beaten with electrical cables and horsewhips, coupled with routine sleep deprivation.
Upon his death in June 2021, TB Joshua was lauded as one of the most influential pastors in African history. Emerging from poverty, he established an evangelical empire that included numerous political leaders, celebrities, and international footballers among his associates. However, his legacy was marred by controversy, notably the collapse of a guesthouse for church pilgrims in 2014, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 116 lives.
The BBC’s comprehensive investigation, conducted in collaboration with the international media platform Open Democracy, marks the first instance where multiple former insiders of the church have come forward to speak on the record.
These individuals reveal that, despite their efforts over the years to sound the alarm, they have faced effective suppression.
Numerous witnesses in Nigeria, who dared to speak out against the alleged abuses and posted videos with their allegations on YouTube, claim to have experienced physical attacks.
In one case, an individual was even shot at for their outspokenness. The chilling incidents underscore the challenges faced by those attempting to expose the wrongdoing within the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN).
Furthermore, in March 2022, a BBC crew attempting to record footage of the church’s Lagos compound from a public street was met with hostility from the church’s security. The crew was fired upon and subsequently detained for several hours, highlighting the lengths to which the church has gone to hinder external scrutiny.
In response to the investigation, the BBC reached out to SCOAN with the allegations. However, the church chose not to respond to the specific claims, maintaining its denial of previous accusations against TB Joshua.
The church asserted, “Making unfounded allegations against Prophet TB Joshua is not a new occurrence… None of the allegations was ever substantiated.”
Four British citizens who spoke to the BBC regarding the abuse claim that they reported these incidents to UK authorities upon escaping the church.
Regrettably, they assert that no further action was taken in response to their reports. Furthermore, a British man and his wife, seeking refuge from their traumatic experiences, emailed the British High Commission in Nigeria in March 2010, providing detailed eyewitness accounts and video evidence of their ordeal.
The recordings included distressing scenes of the couple being held at gunpoint by individuals identifying themselves as police, who were also members of SCOAN. In the email, the man disclosed that his wife had suffered repeated sexual assault and rape by TB Joshua, urging the commission to take action to rescue other British nationals still facing atrocities within the compound.
However, he claims that no action was taken in response to their plea.
While the UK Foreign Office did not provide a specific response to these claims, it assured the BBC that it takes all reports of crime, particularly those involving sexual assault and violence against British nationals overseas, very seriously.
Despite these revelations and the grave allegations, SCOAN continues to thrive under the leadership of TB Joshua’s widow, Evelyn. In July 2023, she led a tour of Spain, signaling the church’s active operations.
Anneka, who left Derby in the UK to join SCOAN at the age of 17, voiced her belief that numerous other victims have yet to come forward. Expressing her hope for further steps to uncover TB Joshua’s actions, she emphasised the necessity of a thorough investigation into why he was able to function unchecked for such an extended period.
“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 stated.
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