Nigerian preacher TB Joshua, one of Nigeria’s controversial prophets and Africa’s most influential evangelists, has died.
A statement by his Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), suggested that the Televangelist died Saturday.
The statement did not give the cause of his death.
“On Saturday 5th June 2021, Prophet TB Joshua spoke during the Emmanuel TV Partners Meeting: “Time for everything – time to come here for prayer and time to return home after the service.
“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 church announced.
However, post on his Facebook page, which has more than five million followers, said: “God has taken His servant.”
He was said to have died on Saturday shortly after conducting a live broadcast, but the cause of his death has not been made public.
Tens of thousands would attend his services, with top politicians from across Africa among his followers.
But his teachings and practices were also controversial.
In April, YouTube suspended his account due to allegations of hate speech after a rights body filed a complaint over videos showing the preacher conducting prayers to “cure” gay people.
Age of 57, Temitope Balogun Joshua commonly referred to as T. B. Joshua, was a Nigerian charismatic pastor, televangelist and philanthropist from Arigidi Akoko in Ondo State.
He was the leader and founder of The Synagogue, Church of All Nations, a Christian megachurch that runs the Emmanuel TV television station from Lagos.
Married to Evelyn with three children, the prophet was worth $10-15 million, according to Forbes in 2011.
