Nigeria
Social media is buzzing after a three-part exposé on the late televangelist, Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua (TB Joshua), by the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Africa Eye.
The lengthy video, divided into three episodes and available on YouTube as "Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua," features testimonies from former disciples and church workers making serious allegations against the late prophet.
Witnesses, mainly from the United States, the United Kingdom, Namibia, and South Africa, claim they were manipulated and physically abused by TB Joshua, forcing them to stay with him for up to 14 years.
The investigation also scrutinizes the September 12, 2014 building collapse at the Synagogue Church of All Nations' guest house, owned by Joshua. The collapse claimed the lives of at least 116 people, most of whom were foreigners.
In response, numerous netizens expressed shock, urging a thorough investigation into the allegations.
On the X, formerly Twitter where the story has been leading trends, especially in Nigeria and Ghana, a social media user @tahbryce commented “It’s a crazy world, there is much more than there is to the eye”.
“Church should just be banned. Let everyone serve and praise their own God. We have a rotten people pretending to serve God”, @benKEofficial added.
“What is shocking is how many governments in Africa allow such fraudsters to operate” @Tirus56131185
Other social media users appeared to have a different opinion about the issue raining different questions about the expose.
"The TB Joshua documentary was just a roller coaster ride for me. First I was like why will they wait for him to die before they drop it knowing he can't defend himself? after the last episode, I'm just sitting here in tears. idk if it's anger, disappointment, disbelief or pain" @gyaigyimii wrote on X.
The BBC contacted the current church leadership for a response, receiving a brief statement stating, "Making unfounded allegations against Prophet TB Joshua is not a new occurrence. None of the allegations was ever substantiated." However, the church did not address the specific claims in the documentary.
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