The Cult Dossier · No. 146 · Christian-Derived
Synagogue Church of All Nations
SCOAN; T. B. Joshua's ministry
1987 – present · Lagos, Nigeria; worldwide via Emmanuel TV
XIII. FILLING THE GAPS — ASIA, AFRICA AND LATIN AMERICA
Fully religious — Pentecostal/charismatic megachurch
Who led it
TEMITOPE BALOGUN JOSHUA (1963–2021), 'Prophet T. B. Joshua', one of Africa's most-watched televangelists, whose Emmanuel TV reached millions and who drew pilgrims from across the world.
What it worshipped and taught
Faith healing, prophecy and deliverance, broadcast globally. Joshua claimed to cure HIV, cancer and paralysis on camera. A resident inner circle of 'disciples' lived at the Lagos compound. A BBC investigation published in January 2024, drawing on more than 30 former members and workers across two decades, documented rape and sexual exploitation of female disciples spanning over twenty years, forced abortions, beatings with whips and chains, imprisonment in solitary confinement, sleep deprivation, and the systematic staging of the healing miracles that made his name.
Who was in it
T. B. Joshua; the more than 30 former disciples who spoke to the BBC; the 116 people — 84 of them South African — killed when a church guesthouse collapsed in Lagos in September 2014.
How it ended, or where it stands
Founder deceased; the church continues under his widow.
The dead
116 in the 2014 building collapse
Of note
The allegations were published after his death and have not been tested in court, and the church denies them. Included because SCOAN was, by audience, one of the largest religious operations on earth, and because the 2014 collapse killed 116 people with no criminal consequence.
Its timeline
- 1987 Founds SCOAN in Lagos.
- 2000s–2010s Emmanuel TV makes him one of the most-watched religious broadcasters in the world.
- 12 SEPTEMBER 2014 A SCOAN GUESTHOUSE COLLAPSES, KILLING 116 PEOPLE, 84 OF THEM SOUTH AFRICAN. The church blames a mysterious aircraft.
- 9 JULY 2015 THE CORONER’S INQUEST REJECTS THE AIRCRAFT STORY. It finds the building had no approval, that the deaths were consistent with a structural collapse, and recommends that the church be prosecuted for building without permits and the contractors investigated and tried for CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE. The church calls the verdict biased. NO ONE IS EVER CONVICTED; the case is still unresolved when Joshua dies.
- 5 June 2021 Joshua dies suddenly, aged 57.
- JANUARY 2024 The BBC publishes a three-part investigation in which MORE THAN TWENTY-FIVE former members from several countries allege rape, forced abortions, torture and faked miracles over more than a decade.
- 2024 SCOAN denies the allegations, stating it does not recognise the individuals in the documentary.