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Entertainers Who Sought Miracles At T.B. Joshua’s Synagogue

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Since a documentary by the British Broadcasting Corporation’s ‘Africa Eye’ about the late preacher, Prophet TB Joshua, of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, was released earlier in the week, the media has been agog with people holding different views about the controversies that surrounded the late cleric.

The three-part documentary alleged that the late cleric was guilty of raping and torturing some of his church members. It also claimed that the prophet staged some of his miracles.

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As the controversy continues to rage, recalls that some entertainers had been to the church for one reason or the other over the years.

In 2013, a popular actor, Jim Iyke visited the SCOAN. In a video that went viral at the time, Iyke was purportedly being ‘delivered’ from an evil spirit. The spirit, allegedly speaking through him, claimed to have been tormenting the actor’s life, and threatened to destroy Joshua.

READ ALSO: TB Joshua: SCOAN Member Faults BBC Documentary

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However, in a subsequent interview, Iyke stated that he had been advised to take his ailing mum to the church for healing, adding that he was desperate.

He said, “I will never be desperate again. Desperation took me there, believing the man of God would heal her (his mother).”

Another actor, Hanks Anuku, stated that he was taken to the church, where he was allegedly healed of a mental illness. Speaking in an interview, he said, “Yes, I got my healing through TB Joshua. It is our Lord’s doing. I was having issues with mentality (sic) for over seven years. You will notice I have not been that frequent in movies for long. I spent so much money visiting hospitals, orthodox and unorthodox doctors without positive results, until I was introduced to T.B Joshua. I was only watching his TV programme in Ghana and was healed.”

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However, at different times in 2023, pictures and videos of Anuku appearing unkempt surfaced on social media, with some of his colleagues and fans expressing concern that he was mentally unstable.

A rapper and former Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, Munachi Abii, also visited the church at some point and allegedly met with Joshua, though her reason for going there was not disclosed.

READ ALSO: BBC Investigation Reveals TB Joshua Raped, Tortured Members

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Some years ago, a singer, Victor AD, had also claimed that Joshua healed him of skin disease when he was just six years old. Reiterating the impact Joshua had on his family, AD took to social media during the week to state that the late prophet cured his sister of blindness, and healed his mum of a gunshot injury on her hand. He added that the prophet was kind to his family.

A former Big Brother Naija contestant, Kesiena Adjekpovu, simply known as Kess, also pledged his unwavering support for the late Joshua in the wake of the documentary’s release. He wrote on X, “T.B. Joshua is still my pastor. BBC should try again.”

Yet, another former BBN housemate, Chukwuemeka Okoye, aka Frodd, stated that the late Joshua gave him a scholarship when he was in the university, and also gave him an allowance of N8000 every day in 2010.

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A veteran actress, Fausat Balogun, aka Madam Saje, also pledged her support for the late prophet. Reposting a video of one of the late cleric’s sermons, she opined that his impact and the fight he led for the betterment of lives could not be overshadowed by any claims or institutions, including the BBC.

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US Says Strikes ‘Devastated’ Iran’s Nuclear Program

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Unprecedented US strikes have wrecked Iran’s nuclear program, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday as Washington sought to assess what remained of the three targeted sites.

The surprise strikes threaten to deepen conflict in the Middle East after Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran, with Tehran vowing to retaliate against US involvement.

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But the United States said President Donald Trump wanted peace and urged Iran to end the conflict after strikes on a key underground uranium enrichment site at Fordo, along with nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz.

“We devastated the Iranian nuclear program,” Hegseth told a Pentagon press briefing, adding that the operation “did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people.”

Trump “seeks peace, and Iran should take that path”, Hegseth said. “This mission was not, and has not been, about regime change.”

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READ ALSO:UK ‘Was Informed Of US Strikes’ On Iran, Plans Evacuating Briton Out of Israel

Standing beside Hegseth, top US general Dan Caine said that “it would be way too early for me to comment on what may or may not still be there.”

“Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,” he told reporters.

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– Protests in Tehran –

People gathered in the center of Tehran to protest against US and Israeli attacks, waving flags and chanting slogans, state TV showed.

Trump claimed total success for the operation in an address to the nation hours after the attack, and Vice President JD Vance followed up on Sunday morning.

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“We know that we set the Iranian nuclear program back substantially last night, whether it’s years or beyond,” he told ABC.

READ ALSO:US Struck Iran With B-2 Bombers, Submarine-launched Missiles – Top US General

“We’re not at war with Iran — we’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program,” he added. “The president took decisive action to destroy that program last night.”

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In Tehran, AFP journalists said the roar of aircraft flying over the city was heard repeatedly for the first time since Israel’s initial attacks.

The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency said it had not detected any increase in radiation levels at the nuclear sites and Tehran said Sunday there were no signs of contamination.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Istanbul the United States and Israel had “crossed a very big red line,” asserting Iran would continue to defend itself “by all means necessary.”

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the US strikes, saying Trump’s decision to “target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history.”

READ ALSO:Iran Nabs 22 Suspected Israeli Spies Amidst Escalating Conflict

The Israeli military was also checking the results of the US raid on the deeply buried nuclear facility in Fordo, with a spokesman saying it was “too soon” to know if Iran had removed enriched uranium from the site.

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The main US strike group was seven B-2 Spirit bombers flying 18 hours from the US mainland to Iran with multiple aerial refuelings, Caine said.

– Global concern –

In response to the US attack, Iran’s armed forces said they targeted multiple sites in Israel including Ben Gurion airport, the country’s main international gateway near Tel Aviv.

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Israeli rescuers said at least 23 people were wounded.

In Jerusalem, Claudio Hazan, a 62-year-old software engineer, said he hoped the US intervention would hasten an end to the Iran-Israel war.

READ ALSO:Israel-Iran War: Stranded Nigerians Cry For Help From Underground Shelters

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Israel by itself would not stop… and it would take longer,” he said.

Israel said it had launched fresh strikes on western Iran and in Qom, south of Tehran. Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported four Revolutionary Guard members were killed in strikes on a military base in the city’s north.

The Israeli military said it had “struck missile launchers ready to launch toward Israeli territory, soldiers in the Iranian Armed Forces, and swiftly neutralized the launchers that launched missiles toward Israeli territory.”

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Iran’s Shargh newspaper reported that a “massive explosion was heard” Sunday in Bushehr province, home to Iran’s only nuclear power plant.

Iranian news agencies also reported strikes in Yazd province.

The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, which had been mediating Iran-US nuclear talks, criticized the US move and urged de-escalation.

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READ ALSO:UK Joins Other Nations In Pulling Embassy Staff From Iran

The European Union called on all sides “to step back,” while stressing Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

The Iranian foreign minister said he would travel to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

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Following his address, Trump warned Iran against retaliation. Iran and its proxies have previously attacked US military bases in Iraq and elsewhere in the region.

Iran’s Huthi allies in Yemen on Sunday repeated their threat to resume attacks in the Red Sea if Washington joined the war, saying they were ready to target US ships and warships.

The US president had stepped up his rhetoric against Iran since Israel first struck the country on June 13, repeating his insistence it could never have nuclear weapons.

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Tehran denies seeking an atomic bomb. On Saturday, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran’s right to pursue a civilian nuclear program “cannot be taken away… by threats or war.”

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US Struck Iran With B-2 Bombers, Submarine-launched Missiles – Top US General

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Seven stealth bombers were used in the US attack against Iranian nuclear sites, which apparently saw little response by Iran’s military, top general Dan Caine said Sunday.

Describing the complex operation, dubbed “Midnight Hammer,” Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine said the “main strike package comprised of 7 B-2 Spirit bombers” flying 18 hours from the US mainland to Iran with multiple aerial refuelings.

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READ ALSO:Iran-Israel War: ‘A Fire No One Can Control’, UN Warns

Iran’s fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran’s surface to air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission. We retained the element of surprise,” Caine added.

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UK ‘Was Informed Of US Strikes’ On Iran, Plans Evacuating Briton Out of Israel

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Britain was notified in advance of the US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, though it played no part in the military action, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds confirmed today.

“We were informed, as you might expect, by a key ally,” Reynolds told Sky News, adding, “We were not and have not been involved in these attacks.”

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The strikes—launched overnight by US B2 stealth bombers and submarines—targeted Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities. President Donald Trump hailed it as “a spectacular military success,” a claim Tehran swiftly denied.

READ ALSO:Israel-Iran War: Stranded Nigerians Cry For Help From Underground Shelters

The UK government is now working to evacuate British nationals trapped in Israel, after Iran launched a wave of retaliatory missiles. Reynolds said it would take “hours, not days” to evacuate them, citing airspace closures as the main delay.

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Prime Minister Keir Starmer backed the US operation, describing Tehran’s nuclear programme as “a grave threat to international security.” He noted that the US acted to “alleviate that threat,” despite previously urging Trump to avoid military escalation.

Reynolds acknowledged public anxiety about the developments and warned of a possible rise in terrorism threats at home: “It would be naïve to say that that wouldn’t potentially increase.”

READ ALSO:Iran Nabs 22 Suspected Israeli Spies Amidst Escalating Conflict

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Opposition figures supported the strikes. Kemi Badenoch said the US had acted “decisively against a regime that fuels global terror.” Reform UK leader Nigel Farage posted: “Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons. The future of Israel depends on it.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, condemned the US operation as “lawless and criminal behavior,” warning of “everlasting consequences.”

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