Temitope Balogun Joshua, a Nigerian preacher and televangelist, has died, family sources told Peoples Gazette.
Mr Joshua, the founder of The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN), died in Lagos on Saturday evening shortly after concluding a programme at his church.
The Gazette learnt from family sources that the cause of his death was not immediately disclosed.
The family sources who did not want to be quoted as an official statement said the prophet died at 57, noting that his remains had been deposited at the morgue and an autopsy would be performed forthwith.
Mr Joshua reigned for several decades as a fiery preacher on television, using his platform to attract a large number of Christians from across the world. Emmanuel TV, run by Mr Joshua’s SCOAN, is one of Nigeria’s largest Christian broadcast stations, available worldwide via digital and terrestrial switches.
In 2014, his church was at the centre of a multi-national investigation following a section of his church headquarters in Lagos collapsed, leaving dozens killed and many more injured.
Mr Joshua denied allegations of negligence and a trial over the incident was still underway prior to his demise.
Reacting over his death, former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode said he received a call from Joshua’s daughter confirming that his father is dead.
In a Twitter post, Fani-Kayode wrote…
The passing of my brother TB Joshua saddens me deeply. At 3.00am this morning I was told by one of his daughters that this was fake news & I tweeted as much. Sadly I was misled. 5 minutes ago the same person called me & confirmed the story. @GazetteNGR was right & I am in pain. pic.twitter.com/g6C1XhPKLB
— Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) June 6, 2021
“The passing of my brother TB Joshua saddens me deeply. At 3.00am this morning I was told by one of his daughters that this was fake news & I tweeted as much. Sadly I was misled. 5 minutes ago the same person called me & confirmed the story. @GazetteNGR was right & I am in pain.
