When Pastors Go Rogue – The Case of T.B. Joshua

In March 2000, in a remote corner of Uganda, almost 1,000 people died when a church in which they had gathered to await the end of the world was set on fire. They were members of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God, a church founded by a reformed prostitute and a staunchly Catholic landowner.

Described as a doomsday cult, the leaders had prophesied the end of the world several times, but when that end failed to materialize, they decided to bring it about themselves. So, they locked the doors of the church, nailed the windows shut, and set it on fire. It is not clear whether the two leaders, Credonia Mwerinde and Joseph Kibwetere, died in the fire or got away, but a Ugandan warrant for the two is still on the books.

About 20 years before that, 900 people died in what is now known as the Jonestown massacre. Again, a charismatic pastor professed to be leading his flock to God but ended up by leading them to a kind of hell. The Rev Jim Jones was confirmed to have died in the mass poisoning that ended the Guyana-based People’s Temple.

Pastor Temitope ‘TB ‘Balogun Joshua of Nigeria’s Synagogue Church of All Nations died in 2021, and although he did not lead his followers in mass death, revelations from a newly released BBC documentary outlines sexual abuse and manipulation.

In Kenya, Pastor Paul Mackenzie, head of the Good News International Church, made more than 300 of his followers fast to death to reach Jesus. He made them quit their jobs, drop out of school, stop feeding on ‘worldly food’, and not seek medical treatment in hospitals when sick. He told them not to mingle with anyone from the ‘outside’ world if they wanted to go to heaven, and to destroy all documents including national IDs and birth certificates, he allegedly said. He was arrested by Kenyan police and is awaiting trial.

But T.B. Joshua was the biggest of them all. In 2021 the website Glusea, which ranks the net worth of celebrities, estimated that pastor’s church value at US$150 million. Many African presidents, senior government officials, international football players, musicians and other high-profile guests worshipped in his church.

The church has a global following and operates the Christian TV channel Emmanuel TV which is watched all over the world and has social media networks with millions of viewers. Tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world regularly travelled to the church in Nigeria to witness Joshua performing ‘miracles. It is estimated that about two million tourists visit the church annually, and it has become Nigeria's biggest tourist attraction, with six out of every ten foreign travelers coming into Nigeria heading to the church.

But all that glitter hid a world of manipulation, torture and sexual exploitation which spanned over more than 20 years. The BBC documentary, ‘Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua’, has testimonies from several ‘disciples’, who lived with hundreds of others in the church concrete compound in Lagos. Some spent decades without stepping foot outside the compound, which was guarded by armed men.

Rae from Britain was 21 when she abandoned her university studies and travelled to Nigeria to join Joshua’s church, where she would spend 12 years without seeing or speaking to any of her family.

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

Jessica Kaimu was 17 when she left her home in Namibia to join the church and would stay with Joshua for 5 years. She claims she was raped repeatedly by Joshua and underwent at least 5 abortions.

But the most telling testimony comes from Joshua’s ‘illegitimate’ daughter, whom the pastor tried to hide away from the world.

“My dad had fear, constant fear,” she told the BBC. “He was very afraid that someone would speak up. My existence as a child from another mother undermined everything he claimed to stand for.”

When she did speak up, abuse followed and would last for more than 10 years. When she was 17, she confronted her father about the widespread sexual abuse in the compound.

“I couldn't take it anymore. I walked directly into his office and shouted at the top of my voice: 'Why are you doing this? Why are you hurting all these women?' "I had lost every iota of fear for this man. He tried to stare me down, but I was looking in his eyes.”

An eyewitness present when that happened related what happened after that.

"He (TB Joshua) was the first person that started hitting her… then other people joined, he told the BBC.

In 2014 a church building collapsed, killing more than 100 people. Reports had it that the building plans did not get the necessary permissions. In addition, church officials refused access to Nigerian rescue teams for more than 20 hours, and some eyewitnesses said that dozens of bodies were carried away at night. So, the total number of fatalities might never be known.

An attempt to charge Joshua in court for the collapse never materialized, and there are reports that the church paid off families of the victims to keep quiet about what actually happened. Some who refused the ‘blood money’ were subsequently threatened with violence.

T.B.Joshua died in 2021, aged 57. His widow, Evelyn, took over the running of the church. It is not clear if she also performs miracles.

Pentecostal and evangelical churches are common all over Africa, and almost every country has a major pastor performing miracles and healing followers. In addition, many of them practice what is referred to as ‘prosperity gospel’, where followers are promised wealth and prosperity. But in many cases, it is the pastors who get rich instead.