One of the founders of TB Joshua Watch has written a Guardian “Long Read” article examining the unlikely global following TB Joshua built and the devastating impact his ministry had on many families. Follow the link to read the full piece.
TB Joshua: 1963 – 2021
It seems the news is confirmed: TB Joshua is dead.
We can only imagine the scenes at SCOAN at the moment. The disarray and emotional turmoil that his disciples and congregation will be going through. Our thoughts are with them.
We started writing this blog in 2011, with the intent of bringing attention to the abusive and manipulative side of SCOAN. We had personal experience of the devastating impact of his deceitful and toxic healing ministry. We’d seen how disciples’ messianic devotion to TB Joshua had destroyed families. We’d heard too many credible accounts of sexual abuse, as well as violence and psychological manipulation, to remain silent. We wanted to warn prospective visitors and disciples that there was more to SCOAN than the apparent signs and wonders shown on Emmanuel TV.
We are concerned that if the news of his death turns out to be genuine, the true nature of his ministry will be obscured by uncritical tributes. The article below, though out of date, still gives a good overview of why TB Joshua’s ministry is so controversial.
SCOAN trial starts again, and then stops
After 6 months of silence, the SCOAN trial finally got underway again today – for a few minutes, until being adjourned for another month until February 17th due to a prosecution witness being delayed and not being able to attend. Another delay, after so many other delays – but at least the case hasn’t been forgotten. Hopefully 2017 will be the year the victims and families finally get justice.
Another deadly stampede at SCOAN
Back in 2013, 4 people lost their lives at an anointed water service at SCOAN in Ghana. In 2014 around 116 people died when SCOAN’s illegal building collapsed on them. Now reports are coming out that 3 are dead after a stampede at SCOAN in Lagos. The incident happened before their annual healing and deliverance service, a stampede took place while visitors rushed to get through the door. As expected, SCOAN are denying anything has happened, a reporter quotes their spokesperson as saying “Nothing happened on the church premises yesterday. Nobody died. Nobody. Thank you.” however, the local police public relations office confirmed the incident.
These three incidents should serve as a warning to the public – SCOAN is not a safe place to visit, their crowd control is woefully insufficient and they completely ignore government regulations regarding building safety. SCOAN may try and present themselves as a place of healing, but events like these show the reality is tragically different.
Our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones in this latest SCOAN disaster, and just before Christmas too. It’s likely that they spent a significant amount of their life’s savings to get to SCOAN in desperate search of a healing. Instead they have returned in a coffin. We call on the local authorities to fully investigate this incident, to enforce appropriate controls on SCOAN and to complete the building collapse trial. The SCOAN death toll must be brought to an end.
TB Joshua changes the meaning of his election prophecy
In today’s Sunday service, TB Joshua addressed his failed election prophecy, by changing its very meaning. Apparently, since we don’t have the “Spirit of a Prophet” we didn’t understand that he was talking about the popular vote (which Clinton narrowly won), not the electoral college. Click on the screenshot to see the original.
Massive fallout as a result of TB Joshua’s failed election prophecy
The day TB Joshua has always wished for has finally come, the international press are paying attention to his prophecies! The BBC, CNN, Newsweek and various major African publications have all reported on the deleted prophecy, and bizarrely SCOAN have now reposted it. According to SCOAN’s social media team it was “mistakenly removed and has been reposted as such is not our policy” (BBC). Clearly the attention from the BBC has called them to account, because it’s not the first time they have deleted discredited content. Continue reading
TB Joshua’s disastrous US election prophecy [VIDEO]
On Sunday the 5th November, TB Joshua claimed that 10 days prior, God had shown him the new president of the United States of America. He first declined to name who he saw, but later said that “The Lord said, there’s a state that enormously, 99% vote for this woman, and the woman [has a] narrow win”. This “prophecy” was nothing more than stating what the polls were also telling us at the weekend: that it would be a narrow win for Hilary. As we all now know, it wasn’t nearly as close as predicted, and the winner is most definitely not “the woman”. TB Joshua’s world prophecies are simply guesses based on closely following the news, with a bit of deceitful editing where necessary to polish off the rough edges. This time his strategy has badly let him down.
2 years on – when will the SCOAN victims get justice?
The collapse building that killed 115 people
Two years ago today, 115 people seeking healing and an encounter with God died when the building they were staying in collapsed on top of them. Countless others were injured, some never being able to walk or work again. In July 2015, the coroner released his report – proving that the building collapsed was inevitable due to a litany of serious structural failings, for example:
- Inadequate beams of 750mm by 225mm (should have been 900mm by 300mm)
- Inadequately reinforced columns (should have been reinforced with 12 x Y25 bars or 20 x Y20mm bars. Instead they used 10 x Y20 bars (as seen in the video released by SCOAN).
- Inadequate bearing pressure for the central column due to the 2m x 2m x 0.9m foundations.
- Failure to introduce rigid zones for bracing the structure and did not design the frames as an unbraced structure.
- Failure to provide movement joints that could have absorbed any movement due to creep, contraction, expansion and differential settlement etc..
- 8 out of the 12 main beams of the structure failed because they were undersized, under-reinforced (both in tension and shear), the tension bars were poorly anchored to the column supports and 8 x Y20 was used instead of 14 x Y20.
- The ground floor columns were slender and readily gave in to buckling
The coroner Oyetade Komolafe ruled that SCOAN were criminally negligent, and should be investigated and prosecuted, “The church was culpable because of criminal negligence resulting in the death of the victims” (Source: BBC).
In April 2016, after many attempts by SCOAN to disrupt or stall the court proceedings, charges were finally read. The charges are “failure to obtain building approval contrary to Section 75 of the Urban and Regional Planning Law of Lagos State 2010 and involuntary manslaughter causing death contrary to Section 222 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011“. In June 2016, the trial started, but after a couple of days it went silent without conclusion. SCOAN have not been cleared of the charges, but nor have they been found guilty – the whole case has gone silent.
Where is the justice for the many families who have lost loved ones, or those whose lives will never be the same again due to their horrific injuries? Come on Lagos Stage Government, you can do better than this – show your authority and bring this case to a conclusion. Even if you are a SCOAN supporter, surely you can agree with us that it is not in SCOAN’s favour to have this unconcluded criminal investigation over their head? Reports show that visitors to SCOAN has reduced by up to 90%. Either SCOAN is guilty and should face the consequences of their lethal actions, or they should have their name cleared. This limbo situation is in nobodies favour (except SCOAN, if they know they are guilty).
250 people die in Italy, but TB Joshua wants the attention
This vague undated prophecy (thought to be circa 2012) was released by Emmanuel TV to claim that TB Joshua predicted the recent deadly earthquake in Italy.
It hasn’t gone down all that well on youtube, here is a sample of the comments:
Even his supporters are chastising Emmanuel TV for putting out this shameful “prophecy” claim:
But not surprisingly many are still deceived:
If anyone has a link to the original, please post it in the comments.
TB Joshua claims his prayers saved 1000+ people from being killed in Nice
84 people were killed in Nice, when a truck driver rammed into the parade.
In a clip posted on youtube from the 17th of July SCOAN service, TB Joshua claims that he was praying constantly for France in the days leading up to the Nice truck attack. He spends about 5 minutes bragging about how God had shown him exactly what was going to happen, but he was not permitted to name the country (because God lets him in to secrets, but not mere mortals like his congregation of course), not once does he express any sympathy for those who lost their lives in the horrific attack, because it’s not really about them – it’s about him, and his incredible ability to see the future. That’s what is important isn’t it? At around 1:40 in the video, he says the following:
What I saw would have happened if not for prayer, would have killed at least 1500 people. The bomb in the vehicle would have killed a thousand people and everybody.
There’s only one problem with this statement. There was no bomb on the truck. How do you reconcile his bold statements claiming he saw all of this happening days before, with the fact he doesn’t even know exactly what happened after the event has taken place? The very thing he claims his prayers averted never even existed in the first place.
As horrific as the Nice attacks were, it still wasn’t as deadly as the collapse of his building. That’s the only deadly event he should be focusing on now, ensuring the investigation into it can be completed unhindered and the families can receive answers.
TB Joshua Watch 