TheCable

A BBC Africa Eye documentary has relayed eyewitnesses’ accounts of rape, torture, and forced abortions allegedly committed by the late Temitope Balogun Joshua.

The late pastor is the founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN). He was popularly called TB Joshua.

The first part of the three-part documentary series titled: ‘Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua’, was released on Monday.

WHO IS TB JOSHUA?

TB Joshua was a controversial and influential pastor, whose church is based in the Ikotun area of Lagos.

The cleric died on June 5, 2021, aged 57.

Before his death, he was the subject of several controversies owing to his methods and healings. He claimed to work miracles, including raising the dead and healing the sick.

TB Joshua gained prominence locally and internationally. His Ikotun-based church was like a global tourist centre, as many foreigners thronged the church in the quest for miracles.

During his lifetime, he was accused of choreographing miracles in his church.

Besides his evangelical activities, he was also known for philanthropic gestures.

In September 2014, a section of his church collapsed, leaving over a hundred people dead and several others injured.

THE DOCUMENTARY

In the documentary, Rae, a British woman, narrated how she abandoned her degree at Brighton University at the age of 21 in 2002 for TB Joshua’s church.

Rae said she was recruited as one of the “disciples” of the cleric and that she spent 12 years of her life at the church.

She added that the disciples of the cleric were manipulated into thinking that they were in heaven when they were really in hell.

The Briton accused the late cleric of sexually assaulting her multiple times inside the church compound. She said she was also subjected to solitary confinement for two years.

Rae said she attempted suicide multiple times owing to the alleged sexual abuse.

Anneka, another British woman, narrated how she was spellbound by the videos of TB Joshua’s miracles and decided to travel to Nigeria to join the church.

She said the disciples were told not to leave the church compound because they could get killed.

Anneka said as the cleric’s disciple, she never had more than four hours of sleep at a time because sleeping without the cleric’s permission was forbidden.

Bisola, another disciple who was in charge of foreigners at the church, said TB Joshua asked her to recruit virgins for him as disciples.

“TB Joshua asked me to recruit virgins for him… so that he could bring them into the disciple-fold and disvirgin them,” Bisola said.

She accused the cleric of repeatedly raping her, adding that she carried out TB Joshua’s instructions because of “indoctrination and threats”.

Jessica Kaimu, a broadcast journalist in Namibia, said she was raped by the cleric in the bathroom of his penthouse as a virgin at the age of 17. She said the incident occurred within weeks of her becoming a disciple.

The account of Agomoh Paul, who was in charge of “miracles” production at the church, was also heard in the documentary.

Paul accused the cleric of using foreigners as a tactic to draw people into his church.

He added that he oversaw the faking of “miracles” at the church and that some persons were being paid to perform or exaggerate their symptoms before their supposed healing.

When the church was contacted over the allegations, they said: “Making unfounded allegations against Prophet TB Joshua is not a new occurrence… none of the allegations was ever substantiated”.

You can watch the first episode of the documentary here and read the text here.