Nigerian preacher, TB Joshua has died at age 57. A post on his Facebook page which has an excess of 5 million followers, said “God has taken His servant”. Media reports say that TB Joshua died on Saturday following his live broadcast. The cause of his demise has not been made public.
When he was alive, tens of thousands of people would attend his services. Leading politicians from across the African continent were among those who sought his prayers.
In April, YouTube suspended his account based on allegations of hate speech following a complaint filed by a human rights organization after videos surfaced showing him conducting prayers to “cure” gay people.
Facebook also removed at least one of his posts showing TB Joshua slapping a woman in the name of casting out a “demonic spirit”.
Many people have sent their tributes on social media.
Who was TB Joshua?
Temitope Bologun Joshua was the founder of The Synagogue, Church of All Nations. He was one of the most popular televangelists in Nigeria. Tens of thousands of people are reported to have in the past attended his weekly preaching services in Lagos City, Nigeria.
He rose into prominence in 1990s. However, TB Joshua was mocked many times for his lack of finesse of his colleagues who offered intense prayers which were similar to exorcism. His ministry professed that they had powers to heal HIV/AIDs which attracted people from around the globe.
His followers referred to him as the “Prophet”. He operated Emmanuel TV and toured UK, Africa, South America and US. In 2014, one of his churches collapsed, killing at least 116 people, including many South Africans. TB Joshua never faced any charges as a result of the collapse.
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