Headline

How TB Joshua Made Childless Couples To Exchange Spouses – Ex-worker Reveals

Published

4 months ago

January 12, 2024

Following a controversial documentary by the BBC on the founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, Pastor Temitope Joshua, a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Debo Akinyemi, in a write-up published by ChurchTimes Nigeria, shares his experiences when he worked for the late pastor.

Having related closely, though for a short time, with TB Joshua as a journalist, I feel a compelling need to weigh in on the controversy trailing the recent expose released on him by BBC.

The argument in favour and against the BBC documentary shows that opinion is divided as to whether he was a genuine man of God or not.

Let me submit that from my personal view he was neither here nor there. It was difficult to place him because of his almost perfect outward posturing and inner suspicious conduct. Those who judged TB by his looks and humility fail to draw from the biblical saying that outward appearance could be deceptive.

I first set my eyes on him in the late 90s when he was still an itinerant white garment prophet. He used to visit Today’s Choice, the soft-sell magazine where I worked as the Sports Editor.

His points men then were our editor Osa Irabor and News Editor, Jide Oshokoya. The purpose of his frequent visits then was to curry publicity for the small things he was doing then as an upcoming church owner.

But later our paths crossed again. And this time he had become a big brand, even if controversial. One of my friends had informed me of a vacancy in The Exclusive, a quaint weekly Newspaper he was publishing. Initially, I didn’t know TB Joshua had anything to do with the paper because his name never appeared in the list of management and board members.

But when I discovered that he not only owned the paper but also had almost a choke hold on the management of the paper, I became scared and wanted to turn down the appointment given to me as the deputy editor of the paper.

I had to go and seek counsel from my provincial pastor who encouraged me to take up the appointment and do my job with as much professional detachment as possible. It did not take long after joining the paper when I began to notice very disturbing developments.

He was nocturnal

First and foremost, I noticed TB Joshua was a man of the night. He would summon us the senior editorial staff to his church for meetings fixed for 5 or 6 pm but would never show up until 12 or 1 am the following morning. And when he eventually showed up the matter for which he called us could be very mundane. And the meeting itself hardly lasted longer than 10 minutes.

But while keeping us waiting he would feed the team to bursting with sumptuous meals, many times, jollof or fried rice heaped to the skies with huge chunks of chicken.

Being a spiritually sensitive person I never tasted the food, though it was always highly attractive. I was always remembering Daniel and the King’s portion in the bible. My colleagues who could have much more than normal usually would eat my portion.

The next thing would be a directive from the prophet for us to go and pass the night in places prepared for us on the premises of the church. Again I avoided joining others to sleep there. I found it funny that our publisher would deliberately invite us for a meeting and ensure we were not able to go back to our houses.

So I would insist on going home. In fairness to him, he never stopped me or any other member of the team from leaving. He once directed the driver of his security backup vehicle to drop me in front of my house in Ota, Ogun State by 3 am. So those who stayed back chose to do so out of their own volition or probably in excessive deference to the man.

Generous with funds

But one thing I could not avoid was the bulky envelope filled with money that he always handed out to us at each meeting.

You could open your envelope and find as much as 25,000. Just as you could be summoned to another meeting the following day or each day the rest of the week after which the envelope would go round. It never mattered if you had not touched the handout of the previous meetings where nothing of importance was discussed.

Sometimes he would just say the meeting was to commend some of us for the stories we wrote. This seemed to make him the toast of the team except me. This generosity seemed more subversive than anything else. What publisher would call meetings to disrupt editorial schedules just to share envelopes?

Disciples lived regulated lives

The frequent visit to the place on his invitation made it possible for me to observe some of the inner workings of TB’s church. He kept a large flock of special workers labeled disciples, many of whom were gorgeous, ravishing young ladies.

He forbade the disciples from any form of secular job, though many of them had second or even third degrees. They were not permitted to own any savings or carry money on them anytime. But their needs were adequately met.

They only needed to make requisitions for whatever material needed like clothes, shoes, and bags, and seek TB’s approval. The materials would be supplied promptly. Of course, they fed free of charge and lived in the hostels built by the church.

But they lived a highly regulated life that made them appear like soulless robots. They lived more in fear of the prophet than God. They also seemed to have taken an oath of secrecy.

So they spoke, saw, and heard no evil about the church system. They were not permitted to step out of the gate of the church without a pass signed by the prophet. Yet the disciples looked happy, except that they were separated from their beloved ones.

They dared not step outside the stricture set by Joshua. The consequence was always grave. They could disappear without a trace or get ejected into a difficult life of dreariness outside. Those so rejected would find it difficult to survive and soon begin to beg to be taken back.

I once met one of such evictees who was once a top-flight disciple with ostentatious dress sense. After a few months of his eviction, he was just a shade away from madness. He was looking gaunt, wearing dirty tatters, and unable to speak coherently.

Issues with married people

Another strange thing about the church was the way he made married couples swap partners among themselves. He made this happen as a ritual to enable childless couples to have children. Strangely, many couples who could not have children would start having children with new partners with whom they had just been matched. In other words, formerly married husbands and wives saw their former partners coming to the church in the arms of new spouses.

TB was even bold enough to propose the swap to my colleague, Joe then a senior editorial staff of Guardian Newspaper. Joe and his wife were then seeking the face of God. And when they went to see the prophet he told them the only way out was to break up and find new separate partners from among the congregation.

Though TB looked meek he was known for his demonic anger which the insiders witnessed almost daily. I was then told by one of the so-called disciples helping him to manage the newspaper, how he threw up a large glass-topped table in his office in a fit of strange anger.

I did not stay for more than 3 months before TB folded the paper. So I did not stay long to see more of the disturbing things happening in the church. But the little I saw furnished rooms for reasonable suspicion. While I won’t vilify him in death, I won’t be so gullible as to join the team of his praise singers.

The Bible says we should not believe all spirits. But we must put them to the test to see if they are of the Lord. I put TB’s spirit to the test and there appeared to be too much fog around him, making me suspect him, though his persona was likable somewhat.

Source: ChurchTimes

Headline

[UPDATED] London Sword Attack: Suspect Under Police Custody After Hospital Recovery

Published

2 hours ago

May 1, 2024

Editor

The 36-year-old suspect in the deadly London sword attack is currently under police custody after recuperating in a hospital, BBC reports.

The suspect, wielding a sword, was arrested after a dramatic pursuit by law enforcement officers.

The Metropolitan Police clarified that the incident was not terror-related, allaying fears of broader security concerns.

Authorities also confirmed that no other suspects are being pursued in connection with the attack.

According to police reports, the suspect was subdued by officers using a taser after attempting to evade capture.

According to a previous report by The Associated Press, the suspect was transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment after the van he was driving collided with a building.

Due to the injuries he sustained, officers were unable to conduct an interview with him on Tuesday.

BBC has confirmed that the suspect, 36, is out of hospital and is now in police custody

A 14-year-old British-Nigerian boy, Daniel Anjorin, was confirmed as one of the victims of the attack.

Daniel, along with two police officers and two other individuals, were the victims of the violent incident that occurred on the streets of east London.

According to an official statement, the Metropolitan Police said the van crashed into a property on Laing Close, causing injuries to a 33-year-old man.

Afterwards, the suspect violently attacked the individual, resulting in an injury to the neck.

Additionally, the suspect injured a 35-year-old man who sustained lacerations to his arm.

The suspect then proceeded to attack Anjorin.

Ade Caxton-Cole, a family friend, while speaking with the BBC, described the Anjorin family as a tightly-knit unit, emphasising the strong support they are receiving from the community.

When asked about the well-being of Daniel’s siblings, she revealed that they are struggling to come to terms with the shocking reality of what has transpired.

“Having a brother one moment and then gone the next moment. It is a shock to them. They will need time. Right now it is too soon, it’s too close,” she said.

Headline

Updated: 14-year-old British-Nigerian Boy Killed By Sword-wielding Man In London

Published

2 hours ago

May 1, 2024

Editor

A teenage boy who was killed during a sword rampage in Hainault, east London has been named as Daniel Anjorin.

The 14-year-old boy died in hospital after the Tuesday, April 30, 2024 attack, in which four other people, including two police officers, were injured.

The victim’s mother was a teacher at Holy Family Catholic School in Waltham Forest.

The suspect is now in police custody, the Met has said.

The 36-year-old man, pictured with a beard and wearing a yellow hooded jumper, was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Immediately after his arrest he was taken to hospital due to the injuries from when he crashed his van into a fence.

The force said they had “so far” found no previous police contact with the suspect.

The Metropolitan Police on Wednesday, released the first image of Daniel, a student at Bancroft’s School in Woodford Green.

It shows him wearing a school uniform with a striped blue tie, and travelling on public transport. student at Bancroft’s School in Woodford Green

His family are being supported by specialist officers as detectives continue their investigation at pace.

Detective Chief Inspector Larry Smith, leading the investigation into the attack, said: “This is an incredibly tragic incident that has resulted in a young boy losing his life and his family devastated. On behalf of the family, I would ask that their privacy is respected.”

The headteacher of the school attended by Daniel Anjorin has said in a message to parents the boy was a “much-loved” pupil.

Simon Marshall, who took over Bancroft’s School in 2016, told parents it is “scarcely believable” that the school is facing “fresh sorrow”, less than a year after the former pupil Grace O’Malley-Kumar was killed in the Nottingham attacks.

In a note seen by the BBC, he said: “I had been intending to write to you once the news has become public, but I understand that many within our community may already be aware of events yesterday.

“It is therefore with great sadness and shock that I am writing to inform you of the tragic death of Daniel Anjorin, one of our pupils. Our thoughts and prayers at this moment are with Daniel’s family and friends.”

It added that “it seems scarcely believable that less than a year on from the terrible death of Grace O’Malley-Kumar in the Nottingham attacks we are facing fresh sorrow”

A woman tried to warn Daniel Anjorin about the man wielding a sword before he was fatally stabbed but he did not hear because he had headphones on.

Aiste Dabasinskaaite told ITV she was confronted by the man but managed to run away despite him putting his foot on hers so she couldn’t back off.

She said the man asked her for the address of the area they were in.

“Once I told the address, he sort of moved closer towards me, he put his foot on my foot so I couldn’t back off and then that’s when he like drew out the sword. It was arm’s length. It was honestly petrifying. I just ran down the road, I didn’t even look back to see if he was chasing me,” he said.

She then tried to warn Daniel: “My instinct was to shout and wave at him, which is what me and another neighbour did but because he had just his headphones on I don’t think he heard either of us

“It was sort of a moment where we just went from shouting to just blankness, just felt empty. You wouldn’t think that would happen on your doorstep.”

A friend said Daniel was a “very good person” who loved maths and Arsenal FC.

Cyan Thompson, 19, told the Independent that people “couldn’t help but smile” whenever Daniel walked into the room.

“He was a very good person on his way to school and then some random person did that. For what purpose? My friend was supposed to go with him to school but forgot something at home and had to go back. He expected to see him in class. His mum won’t let him out of the house now.”

He added: “I’m way older but Daniel was better than me at maths. I was planning on playing football with him later today. But that’s not going to happen.

“He was like a prime Messi, he could get past me very easily. He was small but very jinky. He was a very determined guy. I support Man City, he supports Arsenal, it was a good rivalry. You couldn’t help but smile when he walked into the room.”

In a statement, the Met Police said the suspect struck a 33-year-old m when he crashed his van into a property on Laing Close around 07:00 BST on Tuesday. He then attacked the man, leaving him with a wound to the neck.

Another man, 35, suffered lacerations to his arm when he was attacked inside a nearby house.

Their conditions are not considered to be life-threatening, police said.

The suspect then went on to attack Daniel.

The Met said police arrived within 12 minutes of the first call where officers used incapacitant spray and a Taser on the suspect, which had “limited impact”.

Two officers were then attacked as well, suffering serious injuries and needing long-term treatment to recover, the force said.

The suspect fled before eventually being surrounded by other officers in Thurlow Gardens where he was overpowered with a Taser.

He was arrested and taken to hospital due to injuries from the crash. He is now in police custody.

Headline

Man Wielding Sword In London Arrested After Attacking, Injuring 5 [VIDEO]

Published

6 hours ago

May 1, 2024

Editor

A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and two police officers on Tuesday, April 30, in the east London community of Hainault before being arrested, police said.

The London Ambulance Service said emergency workers treated five people and took them to the hospital.

The Metropolitan Police said they were called early Tuesday to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house in a residential street and people being stabbed close to the Hainault underground station.

A 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene, police said.

Video on British media showed a man in a yellow hoodie holding a long sword or knife walking near houses in the area.

Witnesses say they heard police shouting at the suspect, urging him to put down the weapon as they chased after him.

“This must have been a terrifying incident for those concerned,” Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said.

“I know the wider community will be feeling shock and alarm. People will want to know what has happened and we will provide more information as soon as we can.”

He added that police do not believe there is a threat to the wider community.

“We are not looking for more suspects,’’ he said.

”This incident does not appear to be terror-related.”

Transport for London said Hainault underground station was closed due to a police investigation in the area.

Watch a video from the scene below: