The famous Nigerian prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, popularly known as TB Joshua has died of unknown illness.
The pastor died on Saturday, June 5, aged just 57.
He was the leader and founder of the Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN), a church that runs the Emmanuel television station in Lagos, Nigeria.
And just recently, he had his YouTube account shut down after he claimed to “cure” gay congregants of their homosexuality during one of his sermons. In 2020, Joshua falsely claimed he could “flush out” Covid-19.
All these he did though his popular platform Emmanuel TV, one of the biggest Christian broadcast station in Nigeria, and which reached millions of Christians across the world.
The news of his death came as a shock to many as he had not been reported ill. Meanwhile, no official statement has been released by the family.
TB Joshua Ministries said on Sunday, June 6, 2021, that the Nigerian evangelist died, a week before his birthday.
“God has taken his servant Prophet TB Joshua home – as it should be by divine will. His last moments on earth were spent in the service of God. This is what he was born for, lived for and died for.”
“The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations and Emmanuel TV Family appreciate your love, prayers and concern at this time and request a time of privacy for the family,” read the Ministry’s statement.
Joshua, who was born in 1963 was not new to controversy.
The self-proclaimed prophet faced criticism after the Synagogue of All Nations collapsed killing more than 80 South Africans. A coroner’s inquest later found that the collapse was as a result of negligence. Some of the families accepted cash payments in compensation while others lodged lawsuits.