The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is poised to release a three-part investigative documentary outlining the alleged atrocities and sexual crimes committed by the late Pastor Temitope Balogun Joshua, widely known as TB Joshua.
Joshua passed away on 5th June 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 segment of the documentary is slated for release on 8th January.
The three-part documentary exposes the covert lifestyle of the deceased SCOAN founder, detailing instances of abuse, harassment, rape, manipulation, and staged miracles. Sources informed the BBC that although the church was aware of all the allegations, they never investigated them. They allege that the sexual crimes spanned over two decades.
Part of the documentary reveals how SCOAN shielded its congregation from the truth about the collapse of one of the church’s guesthouses in 2014. A video repeatedly shown to members on Emmanuel TV depicted a brief clip of the structure with what appeared to be an aircraft flying over it.
SCOAN is situated in the Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos State and grew from a local evangelical church into a multimillion-dollar establishment with worshippers from around the world.
A former worker at SCOAN, Emmanuel revealed to the BBC that the narrative about an aircraft was entirely false. He asserted that the church building had a structural defect. Additionally, a British woman, Rae, who attended the church and was a disciple, corroborated this claim. She added that despite professional advice against it, Joshua insisted on raising the building, which had an inadequate foundation for its constructed floors.
Following the tragedy, SCOAN compensated victims’ families with cash, which some interpreted as “hush money”. Sources revealed that Joshua instructed a church worker, part of the team distributing compensation in South Africa, to advise grieving families against speaking to the media. Allegedly, Joshua personally threatened families who refused the money.
“The building collapse is a prime example of life under Joshua. It’s a series of cover-ups. This incident was so significant that it was nearly impossible for him to conceal”, Rae said.
The BBC investigation also discovered that individuals were dismembered under the rubble, and deceased bodies were transported in SCOAN ambulances to shield the true extent of the disaster from the press, protecting both the church’s image and Joshua.
On sexual exploitation
Survivors of Joshua’s sexual exploitation recounted how they were manipulated and silenced, even when aware that the relationship they had with “daddy” was abusive. These women were part of Joshua’s discipleship. Multiple women shared their experiences of being molested and raped by him. Some women who initially resisted his assault were threatened into submission, as revealed by one of the women in an interview with the BBC.
According to all the women, Joshua justified his sexual assaults by claiming it was for their salvation. These women joined the synagogue as teenagers and endured years of abuse before finally leaving. A woman who spent 14 years in the church, Abisola disclosed that she was raped throughout her stay. Additionally, when these women became pregnant from the assaults, they were coerced into having abortions at a squalid clinic within the synagogue.
One of the women recounted her experience: “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 survivor managed to escape and confronted Joshua, recording the encounter in videos shared with the BBC. In the video, a security officer was heard threatening to shoot the woman. Survivors detailed being targeted, beaten, and shot at by suspected thugs associated with the pastor.
The BBC’s documentary uncovered how the church orchestrated, managed, and exaggerated miracles showcased on television. Individuals were instructed to amplify their problems for healing, and likewise, their healing was exaggerated to appear “perfected by God”, according to a source from the miracle department interviewed by the BBC.
Rae questioned: “How is somebody like that permitted to walk free? You’ve got this man who positioned himself as a father to many children and went on to rape, abuse, and molest all these people who call him daddy”. Rachel joined the church at 17, hoping to be cured of homosexuality.
Another segment of the investigation delved into how Joshua mistreated and ostracised his daughter born out of wedlock. Ajoke, now 28, revealed to the BBC how she confronted her father about sexual abuse allegations and was subsequently expelled from the church. She recounted experiencing isolation and indoctrination and admitted contemplating suicide.
In March 2023, Mail Online reported that an aristocrat, Constance Marten, allegedly ‘groomed’ by Joshua, spent time in a compound near Lagos, as a teenager. The report detailed how Marten was subjected to stringent controls, including staying in a dormitory monitored by armed guards, enduring biblical readings, and being forced to address the leader as ‘daddy’.
The compound where Marten was detained gained attention after her arrest, along with her partner, in connection with the death of her child Victoria. Reports indicated Marten’s affluent background and revealed her association with SCOAN in Lagos.
Former members described instances of humiliation inflicted by the controversial pastor on Marten and other white people at the compound. Marten later reached out to individuals, expressing confusion and trauma from her past experiences, seeking to understand what had happened to her.
In April 2021, YouTube suspended Joshua’s channel, Emmanuel TV, following controversial remarks about homosexuality being linked to demonic possession.
Marten’s ex-partner, Francis Agolo, reflected on her time in Nigeria, noting a stark change in her demeanour after her experience, describing her as caring and loving before but withdrawn and distressed thereafter. Marten previously shared her ordeal of living among 50 girls in a religious cult, emphasising the leader’s influence over their lives by dismissing their families and asserting himself as their sole father figure.
