Paul Agomoh, a former disciple of the late Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, widely known as TB Joshua, has opened up about his nearly eight years in hiding after attempting to expose the activities of the late pastor. Agomoh made these revelations following the screening of a 150-minute-long investigative report by BBC Africa Eye titled “Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua,” which featured testimonies from former disciples and church workers.
Agomoh, who claimed to be the first prophet under the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), recounted his experiences, stating that after leaving the church, he faced intense persecution from loyalists of TB Joshua who saw his revelations as blasphemy. He revealed that he had to go into hiding, moving across Cotonou, Lagos, and Ghana, pursued by those who believed his revelations were an affront to the late prophet.
“I was pursued everywhere. For a good eight years, I laid low, not doing any ministerial job, not doing any public jobs. I laid low, just with the help of a few pastors. About three years ago, was when I started coming out gradually. I was pursued everywhere, from here to Cotonou, you know these are the nearest places you can run to, from Cotonou to Ghana, back to Lagos, I was running,” Agomoh disclosed.
Meanwhile, the Archbishop of the African Church, Abuja, Peter Ogunmuyiwa, emphasized that the investigative report was not an indictment of the church but rather an indictment of the late Pastor TB Joshua. He noted that Joshua could not be labeled a criminal as no court had charged him before his demise.
While expressing sadness over such reports, Ogunmuyiwa called on the government to introduce legislation to regulate churches and license seminaries to ensure proper training and recognition of ministers. He suggested the need for a regulatory framework similar to the university commission for religious bodies to maintain standards in the training of pastors.