₦airaland Forum

DropsMic:
While the masses groan and gnash their teeth..

Ike gwuru

Speak for yourself. While you wail and cry with bitterness everyday...many Nigerians are seizing opportunities created by this government and advancing their lives. If you think a man in government or a party in government will take you out of your misery you will wait a lifetime.

A woman scorned

Atiku leaked his resignation letter on his X account

One is a Lamba King

The other is a Mr reverse. No integrity.....Condemn Deborah killers and within 2 mins deleted his condemnation. Resigned now refute his own resignation as a leak

These guys will have no party by the end of 2026. ADC primary will shock them.....Tinubu may influence it to make sure Amaechi emerges. Atiku may be shocked again as it happened during APC primary in Lagos.

If Atiku nor get ticket and Obi nor get ticket na end of coalition

The biggest joker is that Tinubu will appoint a new INEC chairman this year. His/Her first job will be to conduct presidential election. Most likely will reward his/her boss (Mr President)

This one will not return to the senate anytime soon. Na this appeal and counter appeal dem go use run am street

onome25:
I too love the WAZIRI of ADAMAWA
he will b a complete president & not the one APCSHIT is parading anyhow

You meant former Waziri?

God's speed to him. He may be the leader of some Fulanis but he's no leader of the north

Another illiterate posting fake news

RillJ:
Its not technicalities. In simple terms, the allegations are baseless and unfounded. The commission's (then) hurried and politically motivated approach to the case helped to undo the mission.

Note: The onus of proof lies on the accuser.

How many years did it take again to reach this simple baseless and unfounded allegations

That is the classic case of dismissing the case on technicalities......case will no longer be entertained. It did not meet the threshold...technically there is no case...after almost a decade in court

They already decided Obi will be VP but they will not beat Tinubu

Seriously case dismissed on technicalities...no prima what?

Nonsense data...who is ranking what? Whatever floats your boat

Another foreign sponsored islamist group. So it is turkey announcing the launch of a new Group. God help us in Nigeria

I think it was best Obi did not attend. Atiku attended and it came off as campaigning at a funeral event.

The North is not monolithic. Obi will be fine

iwaeda:
Atiku is coming. Even if he is 100 years, I will gladly vote anything, but APC. Tinubu made life more difficult than what Buhari left.

An interesting way to think. If you cannot get your life together no politician will do it for you.

It doesn't matter the party in power the ultimate responsibility of your life lies with you. Humans must be adaptable

columbus007:
Another one, Lolz 😂, he removed fuel subsidy with his braveness, alright, that's interesting, the fuel we Co own. Make una no worry.

You know nothing about governance or the fuel subsidy scam in Nigeria

Great100000:
𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐃: Chelsea have become the FIRST club in the history of football to win ALL the major trophies now available.

• Premier League
• FA Cup
• EFL Cup
• Champions League
• Europa League
• Conference League
• Club World Cup

Source: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EHVr1sxQB

You missed the UEFA Super Cup

16 more characters needed

TB Joshua accused again.

Lagos is a long way from the aristocratic world in which Constance Marten grew up – both geographically and culturally.

And yet it's the months she spent in the bustling Nigerian capital that many believe hold the key to understanding how this privileged young woman's life spiralled so disastrously out of control.

Turn the clock back to 2006, and the then teenage Marten found herself living in a 12-storey compound in Africa's biggest city. It was home to a religious group ruled by evangelical pastor Temitope Balogun 'TB' Joshua – known to followers as 'The Prophet'.

Ten years ago, allegations emerged against Joshua and his Synagogue Church of All Nations, known as SCOAN. Since his death in June 2021 aged 57, they have multiplied.

Along with accusations of psychological torture and physical abuse, a number of former female 'disciples' have claimed he repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped them – forcing some to have abortions.

As the Mail reveals today, Marten went there with her mother, Virginie de Selliers, shortly after leaving her £30,000-a-year public school.

'It was made very clear that Constance was being brought to get help – help in the sense that she was rebellious, strong-willed, disobedient,' said a former British member of the church who was present throughout Marten's stay in Nigeria.

Precisely what happened while the 19-year-old was there is unclear. But there's no doubt it affected her deeply. Indeed, she would later say that the experience left her character 'completely broken apart'.


'Constance was very, very badly traumatised by the whole thing,' a family friend said. 'Everyone talks about two Constances – the person she was before she went to Nigeria and the person who came home. She was profoundly and fundamentally changed.'

Another said: 'Put it this way – TB Joshua ruined her life.'

Marten's link to the pastor was revealed by her father during the seven-week manhunt for her and Mark Gordon.

Napier Marten said her time at SCOAN appeared to be the 'trigger' for much of the 'harm' she had suffered in recent years, 'setting up a pattern of behaviour exposing her to easy manipulation'.

The manipulator, according to those close to the family, was Gordon, with whom she had entered an abusive relationship. Giving evidence, Marten claimed that while their time together had its ups and downs, she regarded him as her 'soulmate'.

While living as a disciple at the church, Marten would have referred to Joshua as 'Daddy'.

During the court case, it emerged that her nickname for Gordon was 'Daddy bear'. A coincidence, maybe, but as her fellow former disciple says: 'It is just the classic pattern for people in cults to find themselves going into really negative situations where they have an absolute loyalty to their partner and end up in an abusive relationship.'

So how on earth did the former Tatler 'It' girl find herself caught in the web of charlatan TB Joshua?


Joshua, a former poultry farm worker turned pastor, founded SCOAN after claiming God had called him to serve during a three-day trance. By 2000, he had established himself as a popular figure among evangelical Christians worldwide.

As well as the 50,000 people who attended his services every week, he went on to run a successful social media network, with millions of viewers on his YouTube channel. His speciality was 'healing' people – anything and everything from cancer to Aids to blindness.

Congregants awed by videos of Joshua's supposed miracles made evangelical churches in Britain fertile recruiting grounds for SCOAN.

Marten and her mother were among them. Described as a devout Christian, Mrs de Selliers had raised her daughter and three sons ever since her husband had left his family.

When not at boarding school, Marten lived with her mother, who became involved with Holy Trinity Brompton, one of Britain's most high-profile evangelical churches. Her daughter attended the church with her from about 2006, as well as its religious summer camps.

While it had no formal links with Holy Trinity, SCOAN relied on foreign support for a steady stream of disciples and financial aid. At the time, Fiona and Gary Tonge were key British followers of TB Joshua and Mrs Tonge recruited British supporters.

A number of those recruited in 2006 are said to have been worshippers at Holy Trinity. The Tonges and Holy Trinity were approached for comment but declined to respond.

'Fiona was keen to get people to go from there to Lagos,' said the source. 'These were called "visits" and were basically pilgrimages for a week at a time.

'I can remember very specifically the time she came with Constance. They stood out like a sore thumb, these really upper-class, white British people. We were told to take extra care of them. And Virginie was quite a presence.'

But while Marten's mother returned home at the end of the visit, Constance stayed on for three months.

'As soon as Constance arrived she started appearing as a visitor inside Joshua's office,' the source said. 'Joshua definitely wanted to recruit her as a disciple from the moment she arrived. She was taken to see him, which are things your average visitor would not get to do.'

One of Joshua's key lieutenants, Bisola Johnson – who would later blow the whistle on the pastor's campaign of abuse – also remembers Marten being brought there by Mrs Tonge.

Speaking from her home in Nigeria, she said Joshua 'used the white people to market his brand'.

The former disciple recalled that Marten struggled to accept the lifestyle, adding: 'She had an independent mind and that didn't go down well... it took quite a lot of suppression to make her conform,' the source said.

Marten would have stayed in an all-female dormitory of up to 100 women, according to the source's experience. Nudity was commonplace. 'If you were going to shower or get changed, you were not permitted to cover up or use a towel for discretion,' said the source.

'You would be reported to Joshua publicly in a disciple meeting if you tried to "hide" your body. So people were literally forced to walk around naked in the room. For many of us, this was an uncomfortable experience.'

Sleep was also restricted to no more than four hours a night.

'She would definitely have undergone sleep deprivation,' the source added. 'If you were found sleeping without permission, you would be punished.'

Any transgressions would be reported by other disciples to TB Joshua for public correction in front of 200 fellow disciples.

'Those corrections were normally quite hard,' said the source. 'They would be embarrassing and crush you inside. And that was the normal life of a disciple – it was literally the tearing down of the person and who they were, to get them to a point of utter submission to TB Joshua.'

Ms Johnson has described her own role in the church, of which she was a member for 14 years until 2008, as effectively 'a spy' and 'a love-vendor' for Joshua. Many white girls were the target of his depraved desires, she said.

During her time in Lagos, it is claimed Marten was allowed to return home on one occasion, accompanied by a female chaperone from the church. On their return to Nigeria, the chaperone told the other disciples of the Marten family's obvious wealth – including a visit to their 'country cottage' which turned out to be more like a stately home. 'She said it was like being in a Jane Austen novel,' the source recalled.

The reasons for Marten's departure from SCOAN are unclear. Some disciples stayed for more than a decade. Marten would later tell Matthew McNaught, an author who helped expose the sex crimes of TB Joshua in an online blog, that she had effectively been asked to leave the church.

'I believe she had left because she had upset TB Joshua in some way,' Mr McNaught said. 'She was essentially kicked out, or not re-invited. In a funny way, it's harder for those who are in this situation. You've still totally bought into that idea of TB Joshua as a man of God and there was some kind of vision for your life, but you have just failed the mission.'

Upon returning to the UK, it was apparent to those who knew Marten that she had been badly affected by the experience. A friend said: 'She always used to be wild, but also happy, kind and buoyant. She was darker when she came back and she found things more difficult.'

Marten herself was moved to comment on a blog written by another ex-disciple in 2013: 'The outcome of being involved in a cult has huge effects on a person when they escape. Your character is completely broken apart, and it is difficult to explain to others.'

Marten returned gradually to normal life in the years that followed, attending university and training to be a journalist.

She came to speak to Mr McNaught in 2013 after reading his blog. The pair had a long telephone call in which she unburdened herself about her time there. Her said: 'She said after she left, she was struggling for a long time and she was keen to reconnect with some people that had been through similar experiences.'

It was around this time that Marten considered trying to expose Joshua's crimes herself. She pitched an idea for a documentary to Al Jazeera, where she was working as a researcher.

Ms Johnson was among those who Marten asked to help with the documentary, saying she wanted to go undercover and covertly film the church from inside.

But Ms Johnson and others warned Marten against the plan.

'I really feared for her,' she said. 'I told her it will be a very dangerous mission, because TB Joshua would do anything he can to protect his name.'

Joe Hurst, another ex-disciple, also advised Marten not to proceed with the investigation.

But she told Mr Hurst about other strange happenings in her life, such as experiencing 'paranormal activity', which, after a while, got 'out of control' and were 'quite scary'. 'She said it culminated when she was in Starbucks and she collapsed and was just laughing on the floor,' he told the Independent. 'She knew it was a problem, and she was really scared, so she told some church people to pray for her and it stopped after that.'

In the end, the documentary on SCOAN was never made.

And yet, according to those who know Marten, the scars inflicted by her time there never truly healed – and would be reopened by that chance meeting with Gordon. Soon after, she cut off contact with her friends and family.

Having learned about his criminal past, friends and family became deeply worried about what they believed was a controlling and coercive relationship.

It is a point echoed by the former church member.

'She has just gone from one coercive situation to another,' said the source. 'This is what happens when someone doesn't get the help they need. It could have been prevented. It is deeply sad.'

While Mrs de Selliers declined to comment on her or her daughter's involvement with SCOAN, sources say she had become concerned about her daughter during her time there and was involved in ensuring she came home.

A spokesman for SCOAN said: 'We do not know of nor are affiliated with Constance Marten and are unaware of any connection she may have to the Synagogue Church of All Nations.

'All previous allegations against the Synagogue Church of all Nations and TB Joshua are inherently false and deeply troubling.

'We remain steadfast that the ethical and moral values TB Joshua and the church stand for are of the utmost importance and there is no merit behind these claims.'

For a special episode of the Mail's award-winning The Trial series breaking down the Constance Marten verdict, search for 'The Trial of Constance Marten & Mark Gordon' now, wherever you get your podcasts.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14904961/Constance-Marten-African-church-nudity-enforced-pastor-rapes.html

Before nko...is it not LG elections again. In every state the governors control it

Meanwhile a PDP candidate (Dosunmu) won......he was formerly in APC since he lost primary he contested in PDP and won...so technically na dem dem

They will run you street in 2027. Tinubu will appoint a new INEC chairman this year. I hope it's not one of his boyz cos Maurice Iwu may become a saint overnight.

I just hope Nigeria returns to parliamentary system of government. All this money wasting on campaign would reduce

Nothing new...every state in Nigeria has official anthem and logo.....Bauchi joined the group and you are making it seem like a new development

Buhari was ex-president when he died. So as a private citizen he and his family are free to seek medical help abroad. Besides his doctor has always been based in the UK.

Nonetheless the government need to improve healthcare

This will give APC a landslide win.

Opposition must unite to stand a chance. ADC is mainly PDP rejects and APC disgruntled politicians. If they vote against a PDP then APC wins

Any politician who has not fully defected to ADC is playing. ADC will fail with this attitude.

People be trying to run after 2 rats they will loose both

Thank God we have Tinubu. If na Atiku now the joy of visiting he White House like a houseboy would have made him accept this.

FG please nor bend o. Trump only dumps criminals. We have enough criminals in Nigeria we don't need south American drug lords here

It is going to Nasarawa it's all 2027 permutation..

Revisionist

APC presidential primary was held in Lagos. Atiku spent his dollars. Kwankwaso spent his own. ACN did not present a presidential candidate other than Buhari. Tinubu supported Buhari. Infact he was the one that convinced Buhari out of political retirement

Tinubu chaired Buharis campaign in 2015 and 2019. He campaigned for him all over Nigeria. Many did not vote for Tinubu in 2023 for being the one that convinced Nigeria to vote Buhari into power.


Seems all this new Nigeria ADC politicians know is lies. Since Obi joined them too he has activated lying

Riskymarvelous:
you fit bet your money aswear down you see that lagos OBI go win am if he dey ballots box as presidential candidate aswear to God almighty that Lagos nah straight winning for sportybet

Obi will loose Lagos.

In 2023 the presidential election was largely the people's choice across most parts of Nigeria. Then the SE videos came out and people were literally beaten for not voting for LP (Obi). Some people were not allowed to vote because they were tagged "APC". SE votes was vote Obi or go home....and they were making videos of how only Obi won most polling units. Even in Lagos some ballot papers were already voted for LP. These were all captured and caught on video. APC felt cheated and Wike followed with Rivers magic.

By the time of the next election schedule, everything became business as usual. In Lagos, NURTW adopted what they saw happened in the east only Yorubas must vote. Or either you vote APC or go home. This was thesame method used in the South East for Obi and the result was an APC landslide.

My prediction is that the 2027 election will be rigged and Obi will have no chance in Lagos or anywhere in the SW for that matter. Both Atiku and Tinubu will use their thugs and the best rigger will win

Azikwe was a ceremonial head of state because the system was a parliamentary system. The decision maker and Head of government was the Prime Minister - Tafawa Balewa.

In the presidential system of government the President makes the decisions

Tboy222:
You guys better be careful

Don't believe whatever you hear.

I would or will advise Peter obi to use his brains here.

Don't trust Atiku and his henchmen.

Obi already agreed to be the running mate to Atiku. He was not at the unveiling of the coalition event to count ceiling. The drama now is how to convince obidients to support Obi's VP position.

Every smart Nigerian knows that the coalition is Atiku's baby

Obi's calculation is that if Tinubu wins again he will have to wait till 2039 to get another chance but if Atiku wins he will have experience in the presidency as VP and hopefully become the natural continuity candidate in 2035

Pickieox:
Atiku is different from Tinubu in its entirety. Atiku can not rubbish Nigeria the way Tinubu bastardise Nigeria like this. This is not about Northerner orSoutherner, this is about Tinubu leaving Aso Rock come 2027.

When Atiku is done selling everything. You will be a debtor to foreigners. "Our resources" will be gone you will beg foreigners for some rights to what was your former resources.

All the dollars Atiku has spent since 1992 he will realise.