₦airaland Forum

Tragedy struck in Ile-Ife, Osun State when an Assistant Priest Lekan Ogundipe killed the Presiding Priest of Celestial Church of Christ at Omitoto area, Evangelist Moris Fadehan inside church and burnt his corpse on the altar. The Nation gathered that the incident occurred on Monday evening after the presiding priest resumed for prayer.

Ogundipe was said to ambushed him with bell, knives and nails, stabbing him repeatedly.

It was learnt that unresolved case of physical assault by the Assistant Priest on a prophetess simply identified as Mummy Ewa last Wednesday caused a rift between the duo.

The owner of the church, Pa Olafare in a video obtained on Tuesday explained: “The deceased had reported to me that he was to disengage Lekan (suspect) as his assistant over many unlawful acts.

“Most recent of it include the assault on a prophetess in the church last week Wednesday and I agreed with him, but he added that he will take the decision after consulting with the elders.

“But while I was about to eat on Monday evening, the said Lekan came to the house and told me fire was burning on the deceased body and that he was lifeless on the floor. ” I drove back with him and my wife to the church where we found the deceased body burnt inside the church.

“We discovered blood stained on different parts of his body and cuts. While asking him how he got the stains, he attempted to run. We grabbed him and lock him in my car before calling in the police.

“We unwrapped the deceased body and discovered that there was nail in his ear and several cut on the head and neck before we took the body to the morgue of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife.

“Meanwhile Lekan later confessed to the police that he perpetrated the crime because of dispute with the deceased.”

The Prophetess explained: “the suspect attacked me last week Wednesday when I told him to stop telling members that we were in a relationship, Pastor Fadehan met the unfortunate inident and warned Lekan against assault on the Church.”

Osun Police spokesman Yemisi Opalola confirmed Ogundipe, who is the suspect, had been arrested and the corpse of Pastor Fadehan deposited in the morgue for autopsy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZZVQxjXWCg&ab_channel=BBCNewsAfrica

Dozens of ex-Synagogue Church of all Nations members - five British - allege atrocities, including rape and forced abortions, by Nigeria's late TB Joshua.

The allegations of abuse in a secretive Lagos compound span almost 20 years.

The Synagogue Church of All Nations did not respond to the allegations but said previous claims have been unfounded.

TB Joshua, who died in 2021, was a charismatic and hugely successful preacher and televangelist who had an immense global following.

The BBC's findings over a two-year investigation include:

Dozens of eyewitness accounts of physical violence or torture carried out by Joshua, including instances of child abuse and people being whipped and chained

Numerous women who say they were sexually assaulted by Joshua, with a number claiming they were repeatedly raped for years inside the compound

Multiple allegations of forced abortions inside the church following the alleged rapes by Joshua, including one woman who says she had five terminations

Multiple first-hand accounts detailing how Joshua faked his "miracle healings", which were broadcast to millions of people around the world

One of the victims, a British woman, called Rae, was 21 years old when she abandoned her degree at Brighton University in 2002 and was recruited into the church. She spent the next 12 years as one of Joshua's so-called "disciples" inside his maze-like concrete compound in Lagos.

"We all thought we were in heaven, but we were in hell, and in hell terrible things happen," she told the BBC.

Rae says she was sexually assaulted by Joshua and subjected to a form of solitary confinement for two years. The abuse was so severe, she says she attempted suicide multiple times inside the compound.

The Synagogue Church of All Nations [Scoan] has a global following, operating a Christian TV channel called Emmanuel TV and social media networks with millions of viewers. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, tens of thousands of pilgrims from Europe, the Americas, South East Asia and Africa travelled to the church in Nigeria to witness Joshua performing "healing miracles". At least 150 visitors lived with him as disciples inside his compound in Lagos, sometimes for decades.

More than 25 former "disciples" spoke to the BBC - from the UK, Nigeria, US, South Africa, Ghana, Namibia and Germany - giving powerful corroborating testimony about their experiences within the church, with the most recent experiences in 2019. Many victims were in their teens when they first joined. In some of the British cases, their transport to Lagos was paid for by Joshua, in co-ordination with other UK churches.

Rae and multiple other interviewees compared their experiences to being in a cult.

Jessica Kaimu, from Namibia, says her ordeal lasted more than five years. She says she was 17 when Joshua first raped her, and that subsequent instances of rape by TB Joshua led to her having five forced abortions while there.

"These were backdoor type… medical treatments that we were going through… it could have killed us," she told the BBC.

Other interviewees say they were stripped and beaten with electrical cables and horse whips, and routinely denied sleep.

A shocking journey into a maze of manipulation and terrifying abuse perpetrated by one of the most powerful religious figures of the 21st Century

On his death in June 2021, TB Joshua was hailed as one of the most influential pastors in African history. Rising from poverty, he built an evangelical empire that counted dozens of political leaders, celebrities and international footballers among his associates.

He did, however, attract some controversy during his lifetime when a guesthouse for church pilgrims collapsed in 2014, killing at least 116 people.

The BBC's investigation, which was carried out with international media platform Open Democracy, is the first time multiple former church insiders have come forward to speak on the record. They say they've spent years trying to raise the alarm, but have effectively been silenced.

A number of our witnesses in Nigeria claim they were physically attacked, and in one case shot at, after previously speaking out against the abuse and posting videos containing allegations on YouTube.

A BBC crew that attempted to record footage of the church's Lagos compound from a public street in March 2022 was also fired at by the church's security, and was detained for a number of hours.

The BBC contacted Scoan with the allegations in our investigation. It did not respond to them, but denied previous claims against TB Joshua.

"Making unfounded allegations against Prophet TB Joshua is not a new occurrence… None of the allegations was ever substantiated," it wrote.

Four of the British citizens who spoke to the BBC say they reported the abuse to the UK authorities after escaping the church. They say no further action was taken.

In addition, a British man and his wife emailed eyewitness accounts of their ordeal and video evidence - including recordings of being held at gunpoint by men describing themselves as police who are also members of Scoan - to the British High Commission in Nigeria in March 2010 after fleeing the church. In his email, the man said his wife had been repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped by Joshua. He warned the commission that other British nationals were still inside the compound facing atrocities.

He also says no action was taken.

The UK Foreign Office did not respond to these claims, but told the BBC that it takes all reports of crime, including sexual assault and violence against British nationals overseas, very seriously.

Scoan continues to thrive today, under the leadership of Joshua's widow, Evelyn. In July 2023, she led a tour of Spain.

Anneka, who left Derby in the UK to join Scoan at the age of 17, told the BBC she believes there are many other victims who have yet to speak out. She hopes further steps will be taken to uncover Joshua's actions.

"I believe the Synagogue Church of All Nations needs a thorough investigation into why this man was able to function for so long the way he did," she said.

Maxtipulation:
Oooooh! Seun why the ban naa?

I could have did some damage now

Kai, their names thou

Am tempted to attack to collect the ban

What should I do now o?

zinaman:
Hi everyone, we all know how things are now in this country, no job. I got a truck driving job in New Zealand, the company said I must provide a verifiable driver license to prove that I have five years experience. I have finished the training as a truck driver. If I apply for a truck driver license here in Nigeria, can i also get a back dated license proving that I have five years experience. Thanks, for ur replies