TB Joshua — Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN)
Lagos-based Nigerian Pentecostal mega-ministry founded in 1987 by Temitope Balogun (TB) Joshua (1963–2021). Vast global televangelism reach via Emmanuel TV. The 2024 BBC 'Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua' investigation documented decades of sexual and physical abuse of disciples; the 2014 SCOAN guesthouse collapse killed 116, mostly South African pilgrims.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
+2 for the 2024 BBC investigation documenting decades of sexual and physical abuse, the 2014 Lagos guesthouse collapse that killed 116 people, and continued cover-up.
In context
TB Joshua founded the Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in 1987 in the Ikotun-Egbe district of Lagos. By the 2010s SCOAN was one of the largest Pentecostal pilgrimage destinations in the world, drawing planeloads of South African, Zimbabwean, Ghanaian and global devotees seeking 'deliverance' and healing through Joshua's televised ministry on Emmanuel TV (launched 2009). On 12 September 2014, a six-storey guesthouse on the SCOAN compound collapsed during construction, killing 116 people — the majority South African pilgrims. A Lagos coroner's inquest in 2015 found that the building had been negligently extended without engineering review; SCOAN's lawyers blocked the prosecution of church officials and Joshua himself was never charged. Joshua died of heart failure in June 2021. In January 2024 the BBC's three-part documentary 'Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua' (Charlie Northcott, Helen Spooner) and the accompanying BBC News investigation aggregated more than two years of testimony from ~25 former disciples describing systematic sexual abuse (including of minors), forced abortions inside the SCOAN compound, sleep deprivation, beatings, and extended imprisonment of disciples within the compound. The documentary also documented the financial extraction model and the cover-up role played by senior 'wise men' around Joshua. SCOAN issued a denial; multiple South African and Nigerian press follow-ups have since corroborated key elements. Joshua's widow Evelyn Joshua now leads the church.
History
Founded 1987 in Lagos by Temitope Balogun Joshua. Built a global Pentecostal pilgrimage and televangelism empire via Emmanuel TV. The 2014 guesthouse collapse killed 116; the 2024 BBC 'Disciples' investigation documented decades of sexual and physical abuse.
Notable public ex-members
- Multiple BBC 2024 documentary witnesses including Rae, Ade, Anneka and others
Legal cases & controversies
- 2014 guesthouse collapse and 2015 Lagos coroner findings
- Multiple post-2024 civil and criminal complaints in Nigeria, UK and South Africa
Evidence by BITE axis
- Compound-resident 'disciples' under 24/7 control
- Extended imprisonment within the compound documented in BBC 2024 investigation
- Forced abortions documented
- Sleep deprivation and beatings documented
- Emmanuel TV as the primary information source for global devotees
- Disciples cut off from outside news and family contact
- Joshua framed as 'the Prophet' with direct divine authority
- Sharp 'man of God / world' binary
- Documented systematic sexual abuse of disciples including of minors (BBC, 2024)
- Cover-up of the 2014 building collapse (Lagos coroner 2015)
- Devotee deaths during 'deliverance' sessions
Lifton's 8 criteria of thought reform
Robert Jay Lifton's 1961 framework, complementary to BITE. Criteria this group exhibits according to the cited sources.
- Milieu ControlRestricting communication and information so the group controls what members see, hear, and discuss.
- Mystical ManipulationEngineering experiences that appear spontaneous but are designed to demonstrate the group's higher purpose.
- Demand for PuritySharp world split into pure vs impure; relentless pressure to conform to an absolute standard.
- ConfessionRequired disclosure of past sins, doubts, or 'wrong' thoughts; later weaponised as leverage.
- Sacred ScienceThe group's doctrine is presented as the absolute, unquestionable truth — beyond critique.
- Doctrine Over PersonPersonal experience or memory is overridden when it conflicts with the group's narrative.
- Dispensing of ExistenceThe group claims authority to decide who counts as a real human / saved / worthy.
Timeline
- 1987TB Joshua founds SCOAN in Lagos
- 2009Emmanuel TV launches
- 2014-09-12SCOAN guesthouse collapses, killing 116
- 2015Lagos coroner finds SCOAN negligent; no criminal prosecution proceeds
- 2021-06TB Joshua dies of heart failure
- 2024-01BBC 'Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua' broadcast
Sources
- BBC News & BBC Africa Eye, 'Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua' (Charlie Northcott, Helen Spooner, January 2024)
- Lagos State Coroner's Court inquest into the SCOAN building collapse (2015)
- Open Democracy investigative reporting (2018+)
- South African Press Association coverage of the 2014 collapse and pilgrim deaths
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Search the source title plus the group name to find the original.