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.
Profile facts
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.
Recovery resources
- International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) — General cult-recovery resources, therapist directory, annual conference
- Open Hearts SCOAN Survivors — Informal South African and UK ex-disciple support network organised after the 2024 BBC Disciples investigation
- Religious Trauma Network (Marlene Winell) — Religious trauma syndrome therapy referrals; relevant to high-Pentecostal compound exit
See the full curated list at /resources.
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
Evidence matrix
Structured sources cross-linked to the claims they document. Tiered per the source hierarchy. For free-text citations see the Sources section below.
| Title | Type | Reliability | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBC News & BBC Africa Eye, 'Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua' (Charlie Northcott, Helen Spooner, January 2024) | Book | Secondary | 2024 |
| Lagos State Coroner's Court inquest into the SCOAN building collapse | Court | Primary | 2015 |
| Open Democracy investigative reporting (2018+) | Journalism | Secondary | 2018 |
| South African Press Association coverage of the 2014 collapse and pilgrim deaths | Book | Secondary | 2014 |
| TB Joshua exposé: YouTube deletes Emmanuel TV channel of disgraced megachurch leader · archive | Journalism | Secondary | — |
| TB Joshua Lagos church collapse: Many South Africans dead – BBC News · archive | Journalism | Secondary | — |
| Controversial Nigerian pastor TB Joshua dies aged 57 · archive | Journalism | Secondary | — |
| Spiritual Healing Around The World · archive | Journalism | Secondary | — |
| Celebrity Pastor Under Fire After Worshippers Die In Rush For 'Holy Water | Journalism | Secondary | — |
| Millionaire Preacher Sends 4,000 Bottles Of Holy Water As Ebola Cure · archive | Journalism | Secondary | — |
Sources
- BBC News & BBC Africa Eye, 'Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua' (Charlie Northcott, Helen Spooner, January 2024) search ↗
- Lagos State Coroner's Court inquest into the SCOAN building collapse (2015) search ↗
- Open Democracy investigative reporting (2018+) search ↗
- South African Press Association coverage of the 2014 collapse and pilgrim deaths search ↗
- TB Joshua exposé: YouTube deletes Emmanuel TV channel of disgraced megachurch leader — https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68142127 open ↗
- TB Joshua Lagos church collapse: Many South Africans dead – BBC News — https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-29235209 open ↗
- Controversial Nigerian pastor TB Joshua dies aged 57 — https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/6/popular-but-controversial-nigerian-pastor-tb-joshua-dies-aged-57 open ↗
- Spiritual Healing Around The World — http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1878443_1842216,00.html open ↗
- Celebrity Pastor Under Fire After Worshippers Die In Rush For 'Holy Water — https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/23/ghana-pastor-stampede-tbjoshua open ↗
- Millionaire Preacher Sends 4,000 Bottles Of Holy Water As Ebola Cure — https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/millionaire-preacher-sends-4000-bottles-of-holy-water-as-ebola-cure-9674136.html open ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-20Source-density flags derived from existing free-text sources[]: court records, investigative journalism. Heuristic auto-flag; subsequent editorial pass will populate structuredSources[] with reliability tiers.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
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Frequently asked questions
Q.Is TB Joshua — Synagogue, Church of All Nations a cult?
CLCI Hub deliberately avoids the binary label "cult." Instead it places groups on a transparent 0–40 spectrum of documented control using Steven Hassan's BITE model (Behaviour, Information, Thought, Emotional). TB Joshua — Synagogue, Church of All Nations scores 33 out of 40 — "Destructive / Extreme", at high confidence. The score describes documented control patterns, not a judgement of members' sincerity or beliefs; many members do not personally experience the patterns listed.
Q.What is TB Joshua — Synagogue, Church of All Nations's CLCI score?
TB Joshua — Synagogue, Church of All Nations scores 33 out of 40 on the Cult-Like Control Index, which falls in the "Extreme" band. That total is the sum of four BITE axes — Behaviour 8, Information 7, Thought 8, Emotional 8 — plus a signed modifier of +2 for aggravating or mitigating factors.
Q.Why does TB Joshua — Synagogue, Church of All Nations score 33 on the CLCI?
The score reflects publicly documented patterns including: Documented systematic sexual abuse of disciples including of minors (BBC investigation 2024); Documented forced abortions inside the compound; 2014 guesthouse collapse killed 116 pilgrims; never criminally prosecuted; Disciples held under coercive conditions inside the compound. These map onto the BITE axes of behaviour, information, thought, and emotional control, and a signed modifier of +2 is applied for factors such as financial demands, leadership accountability, and exit costs. Every claim is backed by the citations in the Sources section on this page.
Q.How reliable is the TB Joshua — Synagogue, Church of All Nations rating?
This profile is rated High confidence. High confidence means the score is backed by court records, academic work, and/or sustained investigative journalism. CLCI scores are not fixed — they are revised whenever new public evidence appears, and groups that reform can score lower over time.
Q.Where can I get help regarding TB Joshua — Synagogue, Church of All Nations?
If you or someone you care about is affected by TB Joshua — Synagogue, Church of All Nations, start with the Recovery resources listed on this page. General cult-aware support is available from the International Cultic Studies Association (icsahome.com) and the Freedom of Mind Resource Center (freedomofmind.com). CLCI Hub is an educational resource, not a crisis service — if anyone is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services.
Found something wrong on this profile?
We accept correction requests from anyone — current and former members, researchers, journalists, family members, and the listed organisation. Submissions are reviewed by an editor; we do not auto-publish.