After a nail-biting three-part exposé on the late televangelist Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua (TB Joshua) by the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Africa Eye, several questions are being raised on how much congregants know about their pastors.
The documentary posted on YouTube titled "Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua explored the stories of those who were close to the famous televangelist before his untimely demise in 2021.
At the time of his death, he was among the richest televangelists in Nigeria, with an estimated worth of over $ 15 million.
The televangelist made headlines in 2014 when 116 people from his church died after the building collapsed. In the documentary, it is alleged that the preacher knew that the structural integrity of the building was compromised but failed to take action and blamed a passing helicopter for the collapse of the building.
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In the documentary, Joshua is accused of secretly committing sexual crimes on a mass scale. The story of his atrocities was brought to light by his daughter Ajoke, who changed her name and lives in hiding for fear that something bad might happen to her.
She claims that his father lived in fear that one day, someone might expose his evil death. She claims that she was forced to be one of his disciples and live in his compound after being suspended from school.
She claims that life in the compound was hard because the disciples were both brainwashed and enablers and had to follow strict rules. She accused her father of sexually and physically abusing his disciples. Joshua is also accused of faking miracles.
Despite all these allegations, some people came out and vehemently defended the preacher.
Former Nigerian Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode, an avid fan and friend of T.B Joshua, went to his X account to say that no man or institution, not even the BBC, can ruin Joshua with dirty lies.
He wrote: “So true! You touched many lives, fought a good fight, stood till the end and established a significant and enduring legacy!"
"No man or institution can destroy it with dirty lies, not even the BBC! Continue to rest in peace, brother, and thanks for blessing the Church, the Christian faith, humanity, and our beloved nation, Nigeria. We are and shall always be very proud of you.”
People defending preachers accused of committing heinous crimes is not a new thing, as it happens all the time. Can believers accept that the person they trusted and looked up to for guidance is a wolf in sheep's clothing?
The Shakahola incident comes to mind. This is a cult led by pastor Paul Mackenzie in which over 300 of his followers starved to death while he ate and remained healthy. The remaining population, which was malnourished and on the verge of death, was so brainwashed that they did not want to eat and had to be force-fed.
Even in their most vulnerable state, they did not want to forsake their master and were willing to die in the desert rather than be rescued. It is alleged that they had to sell all their belongings and give the pastor money to join the ministry.
In recent updates about the case, the court has threatened to release the accused pastor if the state fails to present a substantial case against him. The delays in charging Mackenzie and his associates have been caused by the prosecution repeatedly requesting more time to complete investigations, and that more time for the prosecution is approaching ten months in detention.
The Magistrate stated that the leader of the hunger cult and others had been detained for 117 days, which he described as one of the longest detentions in Kenyan history under the 2010 constitution.
“In my view, that is sufficient time within which the pending investigations ought to have been completed,” Shikanda noted.
“The instant application was filed on 18/9/2023. It was not heard immediately or promptly because of intervening factors and the ruling also had to be delayed because of excusable circumstances.”
There have been several cases of people selling everything they have and giving money to their pastor, who in most cases referred to as their 'daddy,' which is very cringe, to begin with. These followers would desert their families to serve their pastors.
Several Kenyan pastors have been accused of heinous crimes, from conning their congregants to sexual assaults, but have never faced any repercussions. In fact, they have gained followers.
Kenyans are 'very religious' people and would defend the people they consider anointed. This was demonstrated when one religious person was unhappy that famous blogger Cyprian Nyakundi exposed their bishop to corruption. Cyprian explained that men of God should not be exposed.
How do you deal with such a person? pic.twitter.com/13ovUmEugD
— Cyprian, Is Nyakundi (@C_NyaKundiH) January 9, 2024
Pastors such as pastor kanyari have been accused of faking miracles and conning their followers, but they are still in business. When will Kenyans and other believers say enough and hold their 'daddies' accountable for their actions instead of letting them hide behind Christianity?
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