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Synagogue Church of All Nations

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Synagogue Church Of All Nations
The Synagogue Church of All Nations
Map
Synagogue Church Of All Nations
LocationLagos, Nigeria
CountryNigeria
DenominationNon-denominational, Charismatic
Websitewww.scoan.org
History
Founded1987
FounderT.B. Joshua

The Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) is a charismatic Christian megachurch located in Lagos, Nigeria.[1] The Church was founded in 1987 and has a presence across the globe with over 50,000 individuals attending service weekly.[2]

The church is most associated with its founder T. B. Joshua, who died in 2021. It is also known for its television network Emmanuel TV which live streams services to viewers around the world.[3] In 2024, the BBC reported allegations of widespread abuse and torture by Joshua.[4][5] In 2024, Joshua's widow, Evelyn Joshua, became church leader.[5]

History

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T. B. Joshua wrote that in a heavenly vision he received 'divine anointing' and a covenant from God to start his ministry in 1987.[6] The church started with eight members, but has since become one of Nigeria's most influential churches, attracting over 50,000 people[2] to its weekly Sunday services at the headquarters in Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos. Joshua, the church's founder and senior Pastor, died in June 2021 shortly after leaving an ongoing service.[7]

Religious tourism

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SCOAN is especially known for the huge number of foreign visitors it attracts with The Guardian reporting the church receives more weekly attendees than the combined number of visitors to Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London.[8] This Day newspapers reported that "about two million local and inbound tourists" visit SCOAN annually.[9]

It has been described as "Nigeria's biggest tourist attraction"[10] and "the most visited destination by religious tourists in West Africa".[11] Figures released by the Nigerian Immigration Service indicated that six out of every ten foreign travelers coming into Nigeria are bound for SCOAN.[12]

SCOAN's contribution to Nigeria's religious tourism was highlighted[13] when the cleric hinted at the possibility of relocating his ministry to Israel during a Sunday service.[14] The announcement proved controversial; several prominent Nigerians[15] urged him to remain in the country, citing the economic setbacks[16] Nigeria would probably experience if he moved out of the country. The church's popular services have significantly helped local businesses and hoteliers.[17]

Television

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The church's weekly services are broadcast live on Emmanuel TV as well as on SCOAN's social media platforms.[3]

In April 2021, YouTube suspended Emmanuel TV's channel as a result of alleged hate speech by Joshua in videos on the channel. At the time the channel was suspended, it had over 1,800,000 subscribers and 400 million views. The allegations of hate speech referred to claims made by Joshua in at least seven videos that homosexuality is the result of possession by demonic spirits and that homosexuality can and should be cured via spiritual deliverance.[18] At the time of the channel's suspension, it was the most-viewed Christian ministry on the platform.[19]

In January 2024, days after Joshua's sexual abuse scandal was revealed, Emmanuel TV's satellite channel was removed from DStv by MultiChoice, a South African media company as well as from YouTube for a second time.[20]

Controversies

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Building collapse

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On 12 September 2014, a guesthouse located within the SCOAN premises around the Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos State collapsed completely to the ground.[21] The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other emergency services were criticized for withholding information about the accident, and much remained unclear about the number of deaths and their nationalities.[22]

At least 115 people died; 84 of them were South Africans.[23] Nigerian emergency services refused to release the nationalities of the victims, but other countries have provided some details about those who died. The vast majority of casualties were from South Africa, but the nationalities of dozens of people remained unclear.[24]

Casualties by nationality
NationNumber
 South Africa84
 Zimbabwe1
Nationality unknown30
Total115

The then governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, ordered all church workers away from the scene in order to properly rescue trapped bodies.[25] The government also claimed the church did not get government approval before construction.[26] Journalist Nicholas Ibekwe released an audio recording that allegedly captures T. B. Joshua offering bribes to journalists in return for reporting the incident in a way that favorably portrayed the church.[27]

The then senior pastor of the church, T. B. Joshua linked the tragedy to a strange aircraft "hovering" above the building shortly before it fell.[28] A video was released on YouTube that allegedly showed the plane hovering around the building before its collapse.[29] However, the coroner's report unequivocally found the cause to be due to structural failure.[30] Three government agencies, the Nigeria Building And Road Research Institute (NBBRI), the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), examined the site and found the following inadequacies:

  • 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[31]

Trial

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Joshua failed to appear at a November 2015 hearing[32] and SCOAN's lawyers filed multiple applications to stay the proceedings.[33][34][35][36] The Lagos state government repeatedly insisted that the case receive trial.[37]

In April 2016, the court remanded the two engineers in prison custody, emphasizing the seriousness of the charges.[38][39][40] Despite these developments, the trial faced prolonged delays, and T. B. Joshua died on 5 June 2021, before the conclusion of the legal proceedings.[41][42]

Local radio host Freeze made unfavourable comparisons to a similar incident in Lekki, in which Lekki Gardens managing director Richard Nyong was jailed for illegally unsealing a building that he was having constructed and that which later collapsed.[43][44] Freeze drew attention to Nyong's rapid arrest while Joshua was not arrested at all.[45]

Purported healings and miracles

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SCOAN claimed that Joshua regularly facilitates miracles at the church.[46] Hundreds of weekly visitors to "prayer lines" at the church were prayed over by Joshua, and the church claimed he cured people of HIV/AIDS,[47][48][49] blindness[50] and open wounds.[51][52][53][54]

Joshua's followers attributed miraculous properties to anointing water that had been prayed over by Joshua, claiming that it healed wounds,[55][56] or saved them from explosions or helicopter crashes.[57][58] In 2013, four people died in a stampede in Joshua's Ghanaian branch when an unadvertised service in which the water was being distributed drew huge crowds that exceeded the church's capacity. The incident nearly brought Ghana's capital city, Accra, to a standstill, and led to criticism of Joshua.[59]

In 2014, during the West African Ebola virus epidemic, Joshua also made headlines when he claimed his anointing water could cure people suffering from Ebola. He subsequently sent 4,000 bottles of the water and $50,000 to the Ebola-stricken nation of Sierra Leone.[60][61] A Sierra Leonean politician claimed that the water cured Ebola.[62] Lagos State Health officials visited Joshua and asked that he use his influence to publicly discourage Ebola victims from visiting his church for prayers.[63]

In 2024, Joshua's former chief lieutenant, Agomoh Paul, who left the SCOAN compound after ten years, said that Joshua was a "genius" manipulator.[5] Paul said that he was in charge of faking "miracles" purportedly performed by Joshua.[5] Paul and others interviewed by BBC News said that those who seemed to be "cured" at the church were frequently paid to "perform or exaggerate their symptoms before their supposed healing took place" and in some instances were drugged or medicated as part of the "faith healing" process.[5] Some were falsely told that they had HIV/AIDS but had made a recovery due to Joshua.[5]

Posthumous abuse accusations

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In 2024, the BBC published findings from a two-year investigation, reporting that Joshua had abused followers over more than 15 years.[5] The BBC reported that at least 150 people lived in Joshua's secretive Lagos compound as disciples, sometimes for years or decades, and many interviewees described SCOAN as a cult.[5] More than 25 church followers from various countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Britain, the U.S., South Africa, Namibia, and Germany, revealed alleged abuse within the church and by Joshua personally, including multiple rapes, torture, and forced abortions.[5]

One Namibian woman said that Joshua repeatedly raped her, the first time when she was seventeen years old, and that she was forced to have five unsafe abortions while at the compound.[5] A British woman also said that Joshua had assaulted her, and that she was held under solitary confinement in the compound, where she made numerous suicide attempts.[5]

Multiple other interviewees reported that they were regularly subject to physical abuse, such as being beaten with electrical cables and horse whips, and were subjected to sleep deprivation.[5] Other witnesses in Nigeria said that after publicly disclosing abuse, they were attacked.[5] SCOAN denied that Joshua had committed any wrongdoing.[5]

The BBC report led to negative response in African media, with the report being condemned as 'propaganda',[64] and "dirty lies",[65] and other sources questioning why the BBC chose to publish the report long after Joshua's death, where no response would be possible.[66][67] SCOAN itself condemned the BBC for "descending into fictional narratives and propaganda, thus turning itself into a weapon for a hatchet job as gangsters in the gab of journalism with a destructive ulterior motive for personal gains against a perceived enemy".[68]

References

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  1. ↑ "TB Joshua Ranked Among Most Famous Prophets In History". African Travel Times. 22 March 2016. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Celebrity Priests". The Economist. 7 July 2012. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  3. 1 2 Baker, Helen (3 August 2016). "Emmanuel TV: Celebrating A Decade Of Blessings". P.M. News. Lagos, Nigeria. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  4. ↑ Northcott, Charlie; Spooner, Helen (7 January 2024). "TB Joshua: Megachurch leader raped and tortured worshippers, BBC finds". BBC News, Africa Eye. Archived from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Northcott, Charlie; Spooner, Helen (7 January 2024). "TB Joshua: 'We thought it was heaven but then terrible things happened'". BBC News, Africa Eye. Archived from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  6. ↑ Pieter Coertzen, M Christiaan Green, Len Hansen, Law and Religion in Africa: The quest for the common good in pluralistic societies, African Sun Media, South Africa, 2015, p. 311
  7. ↑ Nimi Princewill (6 June 2021). "Nigerian megachurch preacher dies after church program". CNN. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  8. ↑ Mark, Monica (1 September 2013). "Lagos Businesses Cash In On Lure Of Super Pastor TB Joshua". The Guardian (UK). Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  9. ↑ "Nigeria: Tourism Expert Calls for Restoration of Tourism Ministry". This Day (Nigeria). 4 March 2016. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  10. ↑ "Synagogue Impasse: Hoteliers, Others Groan". New Telegraph (Nigeria). 5 March 2016. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016.
  11. ↑ Ojewusi, Sola (26 March 2016). "TB Joshua And The Synagogue Tragedy, Another Perspective". The Authority. Abuja, Nigeria. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016.
  12. ↑ "Foreigners Flock To Nigeria For TB Joshua's Birthday". Nigeria Films. 12 June 2014. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016.
  13. ↑ Henama, Unathi (9 May 2017). "TB Joshua emigrating to Israel: Lessons for South Africa on religious tourism". TheCable. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  14. ↑ Irekamba, Chris (11 June 2017). "Synagogue church going to Israel: What residents, neighbours say". The Guardian. Lagos, Nigeria. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  15. ↑ Odunsi, Wale (9 June 2017). "TB Joshua's Relocation To Israel: Cardinal Okojie, Balarabe Musa React". Daily Post. Lagos, Nigeria. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  16. ↑ "Beg Him Or Nigeria'll Lose Billions If TB Joshua relocates – Experts Tell FG, Ambode". Vanguard. Lagos, Nigeria. 14 May 2017. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  17. ↑ Ben-Nwankwo, Nonye (17 August 2013). "TB Joshua's Neighbours Convert Homes To Hotels". The Punch. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014.
  18. ↑ "TB Joshua: YouTube blocks Nigerian preacher over gay cure claim". BBC News. 16 April 2021. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  19. ↑ Bruce, James (15 April 2015). "Skewed Stats". World Magazine (US). Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  20. ↑ Charlie Northcott & Yemisi Adegoke, TB Joshua exposé: YouTube deletes Emmanuel TV channel of disgraced megachurch leader, bbc.com, UK, January 31, 2024
  21. ↑ Chioma Gabriel, Evelyn Usman, and Yinka Latona (13 September 2014). "Tragedy: Scores die as Synagogue church building collapses". Vanguard. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 17 September 2014.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ↑ "Nigeria questions SA claims over church collapse toll - Gulf Times". 15 January 2024. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  23. ↑ "TB Joshua Lagos church collapse: Many South Africans dead – BBC News". BBC News. Bbc.co.uk. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  24. ↑ {{{1}}}. BNO News. 22 September 2014.
  25. ↑ "Synagogue: Fashola orders church staff out". tribune.com.ng. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  26. ↑ "Fashola Visits Synagogue, Mulls Inquiry Into Causes Of Collapse". Leadership. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  27. ↑ "Why I put out the TB Joshua bribery audio". INVESTIGATE!. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  28. ↑ MICHEAL ABIMBOYE (14 September 2014). "Synagogue Church Tragedy: Pastor TB Joshua Links Building Collapse That Killed 17 People To Strange Aircraft". Sahara Reporters. New York City, United States. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  29. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: Security Footage Of Synagogue Collapse & 'Strange Airplane' Allegedly Behind It". YouTube. 14 September 2014.
  30. ↑ "SCOAN Coroner Judgement – 8 Jul 2015". Scribd. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  31. ↑ "Must read: What the coroner really said about TB Joshua's death trap building". TB Joshua Watch. 18 July 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  32. ↑ expressng on 30 November 2015 (30 November 2015). "TB Joshua Missing On First Day At Building Collapse Trial, Lawyer Explains – Entertainment Express". Expressng.com. Retrieved 4 August 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  33. ↑ "TB Joshua files fresh application to stop trial over death of 116 persons". Theeagleonline.com.ng. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  34. ↑ "TB Joshua trial delayed". The Citizen. AFP. 18 February 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  35. ↑ "TB Joshua: Fresh Applications Stall Arraignment of Scoan Contractors and Trustees - the Maravi Post". Archived from the original on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  36. ↑ "T. B. Joshua absent". Premium Times. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  37. ↑ Taiwo George (4 February 2016). "Lagos insists TB Joshua must face trial | TheCable". TheCable. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  38. ↑ "Synagogue building collapse: Lagos court remands 2 engineers in prison". The Nigerian Observer. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  39. ↑ AfricaNews (19 January 2016). "Court adjourns criminal negligence case against pastor T.B. Joshua". Africanews. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  40. ↑ "TB Joshua a No-Show at Nigeria Church Collapse Trial". allAfrica.com. 30 November 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  41. ↑ AfricaNews (7 June 2021). "How the prominent Nigerian televangelist TB Joshua died". Africanews. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  42. ↑ "Controversial Nigerian pastor TB Joshua dies aged 57". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  43. ↑ "Lekki Building Collapse: What Really Is Justice? – OAP, Freeze Writes". The NET. Lagos, Nigeria. 12 March 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  44. ↑ "Recurring incidents of building-collapse in Lagos (Editorial)". National Mirror. 16 March 2016. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  45. ↑ "#Justice4All: "Why Is Lekki Gardens MD Remanded In Prison And TB Joshua Walking Free?" – Daddy Freeze Blows Up". 360Nobs.com. 12 March 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  46. ↑ "TB Joshua now releases videos of his early days miracles". Zambian Eye. 23 October 2012. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014.
  47. ↑ "Prophet TB Joshua Heals A Man Who Has AIDS". Nigeria Films. 2 February 2014. Archived from the original on 29 July 2014.
  48. ↑ "People 'healed' of HIV-AIDS after visiting Nigerian Prophet TB Joshua". Harare24. 2012. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  49. ↑ "Prophet T.B.Joshua & The Synagogue". The Remnant. 1 February 2008. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  50. ↑ Zaimov, Stoyan (12 April 2017). "Blind Man Shouts 'I Can See!' at Controversial Pastor TB Joshua's Healing Service". Christian Post. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  51. ↑ Zaimov, Stoyan (14 May 2017). "Jesus shoots protruded anus back to place says TB Joshua Ministries". Vanguard. Lagos, Nigeria. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  52. ↑ Kluger, Jeffrey (12 February 2009). "Spiritual Healing Around The World". Time Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 February 2009.
  53. ↑ Petesch, Carley (19 April 2014). "Nigeria Preacher: Healer Or Controversial Leader". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  54. ↑ Getty, Rowan Moore (25 April 2014). "Only The Synagogue Can Save You". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  55. ↑ Edjewhovbo, Benson (22 July 2010). "Curing Four Year Old Acid Victim". Daily Independent. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  56. ↑ Ndlovu-Gherke, Nomsa (16 July 2010). "By Divine Connection". The Voice (Botswana). Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  57. ↑ Njoku, Ihechuwku (27 October 2015). "'How T.B Joshua's morning water saved us from Bristow Helicopter crash'". Vanguard. Lagos, Nigeria. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  58. ↑ Orenuga, Adenike (21 April 2014). "How T.B Joshua's anointing water saved us from the Nyanya bomb blast – Survivors". Daily Post. Lagos, Nigeria. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  59. ↑ Hirsch, Afua (23 May 2013). "Celebrity Pastor Under Fire After Worshippers Die In Rush For 'Holy Water'". The Guardian (UK). Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  60. ↑ Tracy, Abigail (15 August 2014). "This Guy Sent Sierra Leone 4,000 Bottles of Holy Water to Cure Ebola". Vocativ. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  61. ↑ Griffin, Andrew (17 August 2014). "Millionaire Preacher Sends 4,000 Bottles Of Holy Water As Ebola Cure". The Independent (UK). Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  62. ↑ Ogbeche, Danielle (3 November 2015). "TB Joshua's 'Anointing Water' Reportedly Curing Ebola In Sierra Leone". Daily Post. Lagos, Nigeria. Archived from the original on 19 February 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  63. ↑ Moon, Ruth (29 October 2014). "Why Nigerian Health Officials Turned to a Megachurch Pastor When Ebola Struck". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on 1 November 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  64. ↑ Idris, Tijani (28 September 2023). "The BBC: Public interest or propaganda?". Blueprint. Abuja, Nigeria. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  65. ↑ Sunday, Ochogwu (9 January 2024). "'They're dirty lies' - Fani-Kayode fumes over BBC's heavy allegations against TB Joshua". Daily Post. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  66. ↑ "Documentary on TB Joshua: BBC criticized for releasing film on dead prophet". Cameroon News Agency. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  67. ↑ "TB Joshua: Lies have become truth - Iginla reacts to BBC report". Daily Post. Lagos, Nigeria. 9 January 2024.
  68. ↑ "Synagogue Church Tackles BBC Over Documentary". Leadership. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
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6°32′49″N 3°16′23″E / 6.54698°N 3.27297°E / 6.54698; 3.27297

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