The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has released the first segment, a three-part investigative documentary outlining the alleged atrocities and sexual crimes committed by the late Nigerian pastor, Temitope Balogun Joshua, widely known as TB Joshua.
TB Joshua was the founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), which is situated in the Ikotun area of Lagos state.
He died a week before his 58th birthday, on June 5, 2021, after conducting a service.
As part of the investigation which was carried out in collaboration with international media platform Open Democracy, the BBC interviewed more than 25 former members and workers of the SCOAN, from the UK, Nigeria, US, South Africa, Ghana, Namibia and Germany, who gave an eyewitness accounts bordering on allegations of sexual assault, physical abuse, faked miracles and trauma -allegedly suffered in the hands the late pastor.
The three-part documentary exposes the covert lifestyle of the deceased SCOAN founder, detailing instances of abuse, harassment, rape, manipulation, and staged miracles.
The victims allege that the sexual crimes spanned over two decades, while also accusing the televangelist of faking his “miracle healings,” which were broadcast to millions of people around the world.
“More than 25 eyewitnesses and alleged victims, from the UK, Nigeria, Ghana, US, South Africa and Germany, have provided accounts of what it was like inside Joshua’s compound, with the most recent experiences in 2019.
“Testimony from dozens of survivors suggests Joshua was abusing and raping young women from around the world several times a week for nearly 20 years.” the report noted.
BBC stated that it contacted SCOAN with the allegations in the investigation, saying they did not respond to them but denied previous claims against Joshua.
“Making unfounded allegations against Prophet TB Joshua is not a new occurrence… None of the allegations was ever substantiated,” the church stated.
The BBC stated that former followers have previously tried to speak out about abuse, but say they had been silenced or discredited by SCOAN, while two said they were physically assaulted.
One of the alleged 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 said she was sexually assaulted by Joshua and subjected to a form of solitary confinement for two years. The abuse was so severe she said she attempted suicide multiple times inside the compound.
A close friend of Rae, Carla, recalled how they both travelled to Nigeria in search of a mysterious man who could seemingly heal people with his hands. He was a Christian pastor, with a black beard, in white robes. His name was TB Joshua. His followers called him “The Prophet.”
Rae and Carla planned to visit his church, the SCOAN, for just one week. But Rae never came home. She had moved into Joshua’s compound.
“I left her there,” says Carla, tears flowing freely. “Never will I ever forgive myself for that.
“For me, it was like she died, but I couldn’t grieve her,” Carla revealed.
Rae, in her account, stated that she was gay and thought being healed by Joshua would solve her predicament.
She narrated, “I was gay and I didn’t want to be,” she says. “I thought: ‘Well, maybe this is the answer to my problems. Maybe this man can straighten me out. Like if he prays for me, I won’t be gay anymore.’”
Jessica Kaimu, from Namibia, while narrating her ordeal, said it lasted more than five years.
According to her, 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 said.
Some witnesses in Nigeria claim they were physically attacked, after previously speaking out against the abuse and posting videos containing allegations on YouTube.
Other victims told the BBC that they were stripped and beaten with electrical cables and horse whips, and routinely denied sleep.
A Nigerian, Bisola, who was also a ‘disciple,’ stated that she was raped multiple times by the late clergyman.
Bisola, who spent 14 years inside the compound, added that she was asked to recruit virgin girls into the disciple fold under threats of violence.
“TB Joshua asked me to recruit virgins for him… So that he could bring them into the disciple-fold and disvirgin them,” she revealed.
Bisola told the BBC that courting Westerners was a key tactic employed by Joshua
“He used the white people to market his brand,” she said.
The report stated that many of the young people who left their home countries to meet Joshua in the early 2000s didn’t pay for their tickets.
It added that Church groups across England raised funds to send pilgrims to Lagos to witness these miracles – and Joshua contributed Scoan money himself, senior former church insiders said.
Later, once the church was well established, Joshua charged high prices for pilgrims to come and stay.