Five Britons including a former Brighton student were victims of alleged widespread sexual abuse and torture by a formerly renowned Nigerian preacher, it has been reported.
The BBC has uncovered evidence of rape and forced abortions, as well as physical violence, by the late TB Joshua.
He was the founder of one of the world’s biggest Christian evangelical churches, the Synagogue Church of All Nations.
The allegations have been brought to light in a BBC Africa Eye investigation.
Claims of abuse, said to have taken place in a secretive Lagos compound, span almost 30 years and come from more than 25 former members of the church.
A British woman, named only as Rae, allegedly spent 12 years as one of Joshua’s so-called “disciples” in the compound after giving up her degree at Brighton University in 2002 aged 21.
She compared her experience to being in a cult and told the BBC that she was sexually assaulted by Joshua and subjected to a form of solitary confinement for two years.
This led to several suicide attempts. She told the broadcaster: “We all thought we were in heaven but we were in hell – and in hell terrible things happen.
“This story is like a horror story. It’s like something you watch in fiction but it’s true.”
The British complainants were all between 15 and 21 years old when they joined the church.
Some of them had their fares to Lagos paid for by Joshua, in co-ordination with other British churches, the BBC reported.
Four of them claimed to have reported the alleged abuse to British police after escaping the church and were referred to Interpol, saying no further action was taken.
A British husband and wife said that they sent witness accounts and video evidence of their ordeal to the British High Commission in Nigeria in March 2010 after fleeing the church.
The woman told the BBC that she was repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped by Joshua. The couple said that they warned the commission that other British nationals were still inside the compound.
Another victim named Anneka, who left Derby to join the church at the age of 17, told the BBC that she believed that there were many other victims yet to speak out.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We take all reports of crime, including sexual assault and violence against British nationals overseas, very seriously.
“Our trained consular teams are contactable 24 hours a day, ready to offer support and advice to British nationals, including on how to report such crimes to the local authorities.
“We always encourage British nationals who want to raise rape and sexual assault allegations, whether current or historic, to contact our consular teams who can support them to report these to the authorities.”
TB Joshua, who died in 2021, had a huge global following.
The Synagogue Church of All Nations did not respond to the BBC’s allegations but said that previous claims had been unfounded.
To read more on the BBC website, click here.
To watch the first of three episodes of the Eye Investigations documentary, click here.
This was my best friend Rae. Thank you for taking the story and making people aware of cults. There are many in Brighton and the surrounding areas, set up as church but with extream ideas.