The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Prophet Temitope Joshua

Synagogue stampede: Police, NEMA, LASEMA debunk report

Report of a stampede at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) that allegedly claimed three lives have been dismissed by the Police, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA).

Similarly, the church denied the report, insisting that they have watched their video recordings of Prophet Temitope Joshua’s outing during Saturday’s special healing service and nothing of such was seen.

One of the spokespersons for the church who refused to be named said: “It’s just a rumour. I can tell you categorically that nothing of such happened here. Funny enough, I was even in church on that said Saturday when they claimed it happened. All the same, when I got the call from a journalist, I still consulted all the media team.

“You can make your findings. Nothing like that happened. You know the media team follows the prophet around with a video and still camera. How come none of the cameras picked up the stampede?”

However, some worshippers at the church and taxi drivers who carried passengers outside the premises told The Nation that there was an actual stampede.

According to a source, it happened outside the church premises around 4am, when Prophet Joshua came out.

He said: “What happened was that the man of God came outside the church and as he was walking, people tried to touch him. Alot of people were outside including sick people and they were running over themselves trying to touch him. That was when some people trampled on others.”

A taxi driver who refused to be named said he was carrying passengers to and fro the place, adding that he could not really ascertain if those trampled upon died.

He said: “It was early in the morning. I usually go there to carry passengers on their special healing service because so many people come from different parts of the world.

“People outside were forcing their way in and in the process, pushing one another. I don’t really know if anybody died but I know that some people were trampled upon.”

Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni said he was unaware of any stampede at the church, wondering how something like that would happen without the police knowing.

December 12, 2016
#PanamaPapers: TB Joshua denies owning company

Founder Synagogue Church of All Nation (SCOAN) Prophet Temitope Joshua Tuesday denied owning Shell Company in Panama, the British Virgin Islands.

In an official statement released Tuesday, Joshua described as malicious, claims that he and his wife owned Chillon Consultancy Limited, one of the companies mentioned in the infamous #PanamaPapers.

Debunking the allegation first published by Premium Times, an online news site, Joshua warned against defamatory statements against his person or his church, insisting he was not a businessman.

“Whoever is involved in this malicious write-up and propaganda with an obvious intent to defame my person and the ministry, remember what the Bible says in Luke 2:34 – “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many… and to be a sign that will be spoken against.”

“I am not a businessman and have no business whatsoever. What God has given me is more than enough. I have nothing to do with the Panama Papers. As for me and my family, we shall remain in the vineyard of God.

“Premium Times – do not allow your company to be used. Do not allow your company to stand against God. This is a lie! Take note – this news was written by the same journalist who alleged that I bribed him during the building incident and went to different channels – both local and international – to propagate these fabrications.

“Since the building incident, there have been a series of threats towards the ministry and my person by this same journalist, Nicholas Ibekwe, who represents a gang of people.

“After everything that has been done in an attempt to destroy this ministry, this is what he has resorted to. Even the picture used in the write-up is taken from the Mexico Crusade I recently held. It was a crusade I went for, nothing more.

“Do not use the Panama Papers to attack those you have been looking for an opportunity to victimise. This is to show that not everybody alleged in the media to be involved in the Panama Papers is truly involved. My own case is a good example.

“Beware of those using the Panama Papers for fraudulent purposes! This is a very big mistake the fraudsters have made. Those who read this report – take time to do your findings. It is malicious.

“Note – people are misusing the data in the Panama Papers for fraud to attack innocent people.”

April 12, 2016
Synagouge: Joshua, trustees ‎seek court order to quash coroner’s verdict

Founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nation, Prophet Temitope Joshua has sued the Lagos State Coroner, Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe and state Attorney-General over the criminal indictment of the church in the September 12, 2014 collapsed guest house.

The co-applicant in the suit filed before the High Court of Lagos State is the Registered Trustees of the Church.

About 116 persons reportedly died in the collapsed building within the church premises at Ikotun in Lagos.

‎In a motion on notice brought pursuant to Order 40 Rule 3(1) and (2) of the High court of Lagos State (Civil Procedure Rule) 2012 and filed before Justice Kazeem Alogba, Prophet Joshua and his church is seeking an order of certiorari quashing the verdict of the coroner’s court presided over by Magistrate Komolafe on the ground that the court exceeded its statutory jurisdiction.

Komolafe and the Attorney General, Lagos State are listed as respondents in the suit filed on January 11, 2016.

In its verdict on the inquest made into the collapsed guest house, the Coroner court had indicted TB Joshua’s church and the two engineers that constructed the collapsed building.

The court particularly ordered that Synagogue church be investigated and proceeded against by the relevant authorities for not possessing necessary building permit.

The coroner court also recommended the prosecution of the two engineers that constructed the collapsed building for criminal negligence.

Joshua and the two embattled engineers subsequently filed a Fundamental Human Rights Enforcement suit before a Federal High Court, Lagos against the Coroner Court, Lagos State Government, Commissioner of Police, Lagos State and Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN.

The suit which was meant stop the arrest Joshua, prosecution of the church and the engineers was however dismissed by the Federal Court.
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Following the Federal High Court judgment, the Lagos State Government late last year filed a 111 count criminal charge against Trustees of the church and the two engineers.

The matter is slated for hearing Tuesday before Justice Lateef Lawal- Akapo.

In the motion on notice seeking to quash or set aside the coroners’ verdict, Synagogue church contended that the “Coroner’s Court of Lagos State, Alimosho District”, which presided over and delivered the verdict is unknown to Coroner’s Court of Lagos State, 2007 and Coroner’s System Law (Subsidiary Legislation) which established Coroner’s Court in Lagos State.

The church contended that the Lagos Coroner’s System Law, 2007 only established Lagos, Ikeja, Yaba and Apapa districts.

It emphasised that Alimosho Coroner’s district which presided over the Synagogue building collapse inquest was not a creation of the law.

The church also urged that any finding, recommendation and or verdict delivered or rendered by it termed an illegal court such as “Coroner’s Court, Alimosho District” is a nullity and liable to be quashed.
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The application filed by the church is also praying the High Court of Lagos state to quash the verdict of the coroner’s court on the ground that the inquest acted in excess of its jurisdiction by concluding that structural failure due to the combination of design and detailing errors caused the collapse of the Synagogue six-story building.

The plaintiffs contended that the recommendations made by the coroner’s court ordering the prosecution of the church and building engineers was outside the powers of the coroners as it is only empowered to inquire into the cause of death, time of death, manner of death and identities of the persons that died.

In the light of its argument, the church also prayed the court to make an order setting aside the charges instituted by the Lagos State Government against Registered Trustees of SCOAN.

When the matter came up Monday, Magistrate Komolafe was absent in court and was not represented by any lawyer.

Barr. A. O Idowu who represented the Attorney General of Lagos State however pleaded with the court for time to file a response to the suit.

The matter has been adjourned till February 4, 2016.

January 18, 2016
Collapsed building: Synagogue church to honour victims

Prophet Temitope Joshua of the Synagogue, Church of All Nation (SCOAN), said the Church would hold a memorial service for victims of the September 2014 collapsed building that occurred in the Church.

A statement issued by the Church on Saturday in Lagos said the memorial service would hold in Lagos and South Africa.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that 116 persons, including 84 South Africans, were killed when the six storey building belonging to the Church collapsed on Sept. 12, 2014.

The statement stated that some delegates from the church in Nigeria would attend the memorial service in South Africa.
The statement quoted T.B. Joshua as saying “the deceased, mostly South Africans, were on an appointment with God when they met their death and therefore they did not die in vain.

Joshua recalled that the coroner had passed its verdict calling for the prosecution of the contractors that handled the building of the collapsed structure.

He, however, urged government to focus more on what led to the tragedy adding that the building collapsed questioned the security consciousness of the government.

September 12, 2015
Synagogue: Joshua asks coroner to stop inviting him to sittings

The founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, Prophet Temitope Joshua, on Wednesday asked the coroner investigating the collapse of a building within the church to stop inviting him to give evidence during its sittings.

Joshua told the coroner court presided by Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe to stay action on his invitation pending the determination of a suit before Justice Lateefat Okunnu of a Lagos High Court, Ikeja.

Joshua through an application filed by his counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, also asked the court to stay further proceedings on the inquest pending the determination of his suit against Komolafe before Justice Okunnu.

In the application before Justice Okunnu, Joshua had asked the court to declare that the invitation asking him to appear as a witness before the coroner was a breach of his right to fair hearing, as no case had been established against his person before the coroner.

The prophet also urged the court to order the coroner to suspend further proceedings pending when Justice Okunnu would either uphold or reject his prayers.

“My Lord, most respectfully, we have applied for a judicial review of the proceedings of this honourable court so far. We may be right, we may be wrong, but what we are saying is that this coroner court has been extending and it is still extending its inquisitions into areas outside the statutory jurisdiction of the coroner court. That is our complaint, my Lord.

“And what we are saying is, if the High Court agrees with us to set aside such portions of the proceedings that it adjudges to have been conducted in excess of jurisdiction, it should prohibit the coroner from further acting in excess of its jurisdiction,” the prophet said in the application.

December 3, 2014