Followers of Nigerian megachurch leader subjected to torture and violence

Nigerian “megachurch” leader Temitope Balogun Joshua, a world-famous controversial “prophet” who died in 2021, tortured and raped his followers, the BBC reveals following a two-year investigation.

It was conducted in collaboration with the international media platform openDemocracy. Former church members said Te. Bi. Joshua raped young women from all over the world several times a week for almost twenty years, and forced pregnant women to have abortions as a result of the violence. The victims also said that the “prophet” forced the “disciples” to call him “daddy” (Daddy) and serve him, and severely beat him for disobedience. writes edition.

Those. Bi. Joshua – who is he

Temitope Balogun Joshua was the leader of the Synagogue, Church of All Nations, a Lagos-based megachurch that also runs the Nigerian television station Emmanuel TV. The “heyday” of his vigorous activity and the peak of popularity occurred in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Joshua built a vast 12-story complex with many rooms where he lived with his many followers. The complex included a hidden prayer room full of mirrors and a “clinic”. During services, Joshua proclaimed “healing” from homosexuality and diseases – cancer, blindness, HIV/AIDS. His sermons were broadcast on television.

Joshua has drawn huge crowds on tours in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and before the coronavirus pandemic, his church attracted an estimated 15,000 people a week. But… On June 5, 2021, a week before his 58th birthday, Joshua died suddenly. There is a version that the “prophet” could have been killed, but the exact cause of death was not announced. A few months after the death of the leader, the church resumed its activities, now led by Joshua’s widow Evelyn.

Former members of the megachurch have already tried to bring charges against Joshua, but SCOAN (Synagogue Church of all Nations) silenced them. At least two of the victims say they were physically assaulted. 2 years ago, more than 15 BBC journalists on different continents began an investigation. They collected evidence of numerous crimes from 25 eyewitnesses or victims from the UK, Nigeria, Ghana, USA, South Africa and Germany.

Investigation results

As a 2-year investigation showed, followers of the sect were subjected to rape, forced nudity, forced abortion, and physical and psychological abuse. One of them said Joshua “selected” her while she was attending church Sunday school and then raped her several months after her parents placed her in his care. After this, Joshua asked the girl to “recruit” virgins into sects so that he could deprive them of their chastity. Some victims were underage at the time of the rape.

Former South African student Sile said she had three forced abortions in church. Joshua forced students to work for free and serve him in every possible way. They massaged him, helped him dress, sprayed perfume when he entered the room, and put plastic gloves on his hands so he could eat without touching the food.

The students could not even sleep without the leader’s permission, and those who broke the rules were severely punished. Nineteen former students said they witnessed attacks and torture in the church, often carried out by Joshua himself. The students were stripped, tortured with electric shocks, beaten with wires and whips. Church followers who were tortured included children as young as 7 years old.

Joshua staged his “miraculous cures” broadcast to millions of people on television. All victims interviewed by journalists spoke of indoctrination, pressure and brainwashing in the megachurch. SCOAN has not yet responded to the allegations.

Meanwhile, in Nepal, police detained a 34-year-old spiritual leader whose supporters consider him the “reincarnation of Buddha.” He is accused of sexually assaulting an underage nun. According to law enforcement officials, Ram Bahadur Bomjan hid from the investigation for three years, writes CNN.

The man was detained on the outskirts of Kathmandu, he tried to escape. More than a dozen mobile phones, five laptops and tablets, as well as more than 200 thousand US dollars in Nepalese and foreign currency were found in his house, law enforcement officers say.

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