TB Joshua is a man whom the mainstream Pentecostal body in Nigeria has declared a false prophet. I was in Sokoto many years ago preparing for a foreign mission when signals came that this man was among those blacklisted by Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN). Another person also blacklisted was Prophet Samson Ayorinde. Their blacklisting was based on the fact that those who have spiritually discerning powers have noted that they use strange powers in their operations, and those who fled from their fold, including ex-pastors claimed that the man disappears into the waters beside the church from time to time, among many other allegations.  Weeks later I also attended a PFN briefing in Sokoto while preparing for Bishop Wale Oke’s Prayer Crusade which held at Trade Fair Complex and the National Vice President of PFN, North West  also briefed gospel ministers on this TB Joshua issue.

 

The General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye has also said that he will not preach in TB Joshua’s Church. When asked whether he could worship in Joshua’s church, Adeboye retorted, “No! Definitely not! If he wants me to come and minister in his church, we will sit down; we will discuss the issue of salvation the way I understand it, according to the scriptures. If we agree on that and he now wants me to come and preach the same message of salvation in his church, then I will go.”

 

The then President of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, and current leader of Nigeria’s Christian Community ,echoing the mind of PFN members said that before Joshua could even qualify to be a PFN member, he should show who tutored him as a pastor in the first place.. According to Oritsejafor  “If T.B. Joshua can show me his pastor who pastored him before he said he was called into the ministry; if T.B. Joshua can tell me when he got converted and how he got converted, then we would consider him” He added that “ Anybody who is a Christian is a Christian because he received Jesus Christ at a point. . I gather he said he was converted in his mother’s womb”.

 

Despite the fact that mainstream Pentecostals have distanced themselves from this man, foreigners have continued to troop to his Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN)  drinking miracle water and doing all manners of things in search of solution to problems. Whatever TB Joshua and his followers do in that their Synagogue is entirely their business, but charming and hoodwinking the entire Christendom to the heinous murdering foreigners and Nigerians in his church, bringing international embarrassment to Nigeria, is not applicable to me. A lady who was rescued from the rubbles is now paralyzed and on wheel chair from the incidence and the God of TB Joshua and SCOAN have abandoned the lady to her fate.

 

Among these 115 persons are 85 South Africans who came to see the God of TB Joshua and them all ended up in the graveyard of TB Joshua. Yes the graveyard of TB Joshua swallowed some persons, and initially I thought that this prophet will respect himself after the incidence, and allow rescue workers to come to salvage as many people as possible. Rather, while his congregants were busy crying from within the rubbles, his bouncers and thugs, who have already intimidated the residents of Ikotun area of Lagos to submission, were busy harassing and beating up rescue workers, while another group were spraying miracle water. Is the harassment of rescue workers, including those from NEMA a script to ensure that more persons die and the number of blood needed obtained before help can be sent to the victims? Had TB Joshua allowed a quicker response to the tragedy, probably the death toll would have been less than twenty.

 

This man, not done with delayed rescue of trapped victims, made an unfortunate statement alluding that terrorist sabotage was responsible for the collapse of his church. Some of us know that Boko Haram has not yet reached the sophistry of using an aircraft to create a demolition of a church in far away Lagos. What TB Joshua said was a white lie and liars are liable to hell fire.

 

A video of a hovering aircraft has been shown as evidence that Boko Haram or any form of terrorist group deliberately flew over his building. I wonder why Boko Haram will leave Canaan Land, Ota where Bishop Oyedepo led a straight six week long prayer against the insurgents between May and July of 2014, replicated in all their Churches and go after TB Joshua. How can Boko Haram leave Pastor Adeboye at The Redemption Camp, Shagamu Express, near Lagos  where their Convention of August 2014 devoted more time to pray against the insurgents, and before then , their Thursday prayers devoted time to pray against the terrorists , and be looking for TB Joshua.  How can Boko Haram leave Pastor Paul Enenche, Dunamis Gospel Centre, Abuja, which embarked on a six week of anointing to terminate terrorism, between May and June and then proceed to fly over Synagogue in far away Lagos.  What has Synagogue done specifically against Boko Haram to warrant attacks on him.

 

In order for this white lie to fly, journalists were assembled and bribed with sum of N50, 000 naira each. A journalist friend of mine told me that he collected ‘anointed money’ from TB Joshua and all my efforts to convince him that that money is not anointed money, rather it is ‘anointed bribe’ fell on deaf ears. The purpose of the bribe is to give soft landing to the murder of innocent people. However, God used a Premium Times reporter by name Nicholas Ibekwe , to expose the corruption and the rest is history.

 

The Lagos State Government has instituted a coroner’s inquest as is the practice in developed countries, to discover why such an incidence took place in Nigeria. To the best of my knowledge, this inquest is not targeted at TB Joshua as a person. It is probably to prevent future reoccurrence yet this prophet has been fighting the proceedings at the court. The situation became so shameful that the Lagos State High Court fined TB Joshua and his Synagogue the sum of N25, 000 naira for delaying proper investigations. Justice Lateefa Okunnu, while awarding the cost, berated the prophet for “wasting the time of the court and tax payers’ money.” Joshua had earlier filed a case to stop the proceeding at the Federal High Court and it was dismissed. Why is TB Joshua afraid of coroner’s inquest into circumstances surrounding the death of 115 persons? These dead people are not 115 donkeys.

 

 

I have asked various structural engineers both in Nigeria and the US and they have told me that the type of collapse of that building is not possible without placing all the materials used for the controlled demolition around the vicinity. There is no Thermite Shape Charges on the site and other controlled demolition aids. Their conclusion is that a structural defect might have occurred.

 

The South West Coordinator of National Emergency Management Agency(NEMA) Ibrahim Farinloye, while debunking the terrorist suggestion told AFP that “If it were an act of terrorism or sabotage, it would have gone into rubble,” He went further to say that” “For the first three days of the incident, the church people were very hostile and prevented rescue officials’ access to the site,” Three days that would have been used to save lives was use to obstruct rescue workers and sprinkle miracle water amidst shouts of praise to God of TB Joshua , and the trapped victims were witchcrafted unto slow premature death.

 

 The Lagos state building control agency also complained that its officials were obstructed from moving to the sites and believed that this led to loss of more lives. The State Government had explained that the uncompleted building, which was originally two floors, was increased to six without approval.

 

Rafiq Arogunjo, of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), again dismissed a theory advanced by Joshua and his supporters about aerial sabotage. According to Arogunjo, “The aircraft was no longer in flight when the building collapsed. I don’t see any nexus between the aircraft and the collapse. I think the investigators should look into the structural integrity of the building.” The church is alluding that it was the Nigerian Airforce C-130 aircraft, which flew past the building, caused the collapse.

 

Bisi Adedire, the building consultant over the collapsed building has admitted before the Coroner that the building contravened the law. He said that lack of approval did not mean the building was unsound but told the coroner that he warned church officials they were ignoring regulations “I told the church they have contravened the law in a way by building without approval but they said they could regularize it,”

 

 

This prophet is unknowingly fighting what could have helped him escape the blame of Nigerians. TB Joshua is not the only person whose building has collapsed in Nigeria. Few years back, in Jabi District of Abuja, a shopping complex under construction collapsed, killing about thirty persons and one of the engineers at the site told me that the supervising engineer and the owner never adhered to specifications he gave as advice. . Therefore, TB Joshua is not the first to cut corners in Nigeria. He should admit his mistakes and ask for our forgiveness.

 

 

However, this Prophet bent on self destruct, is proving that it was a terrorist attack that brought down his church. Who then are the terrorists? Many year ago, I did a deliverance on a particular man who claimed that he was among some occult group contracted to collapse a building at the Chime , New Haven are of Enugu. The building under construction killed nothing less than twenty persons. It was alleged that the building was owned by a big man who later became a chieftain of the ruling party in Nigeria by name Chris Uba. This Uba of a person is a member of BoT of the ruling PDP in Nigeria. This man narrated how they spiritually pulled down the building and siphoned blood through spirit realms. However, he did not say that it was the PDP chieftain that contracted him.

 

 

From TB Joshua’s treatise, I can conclude that it is either he corruptly erected a poor quality building, leading to the death of foreigners, or he made alliance with some witches to plan the collapse of this building for spiritual empowerment purposes. Since this building collapsed TB Joshua’s God had not named the very enemy that pulled down the building. He is probably hiding the witches that helped pull down the building. Why must he hide the spirits, are they working for him. Why did TB Joshua refuse emergency assistance to the victims when the collapse was very fresh? Why did he claim it was terrorist attacks? Why did he bribe journalists? Why is he fighting coroners inquest meant to probably help forestall future occurrence.

 

 

It is unfortunate that South Afriica lost such precious souls who came to our shores for spiritual succor. The Bible said that we should take care of strangers, therefore, any stranger in your midst, you have extra duty to ensure their safety and that is why I am concerned about the loss of lives of strangers. . TB Joshua should come clean on the witchcraft murder of visiting South Africans. It is either his alliance with witches caused the attacks or his unethical behaviors-let him apologize for that witchcraft murder and save Nigeria further embarrassment.

 

 

Obinna Akukwe wrote through