Prophet T.B. Joshua reported dead

Founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, popularly known as T.B. Joshua, is reported dead.

The popular televangelist of the megachurch that runs the Emmanuel TV television station from Lagos died on Saturday, June 5.

He died at age 57.

He is reported to have passed on shortly after an evening church service, Peoples Gazette reported, quoting family sources who wanted to remain anonymous until an official statement.

The cause of death is not immediately known, but reports indicate that the body has been taken to a hospital for preservation and autopsy.

T.B. Joshua is one of Africa’s most influential preachers with a large following on TV and social media.

Joshua is known for his popularity across Africa and Latin America and his social media presence with 3,500,000 fans on Facebook.

His YouTube channel, Emmanuel TV, had over 1,000,000 YouTube subscribers and was the world’s most viewed Christian ministry on the platform before it was suspended.

He has been awarded various accolades, notably receiving the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) by the Nigerian government in 2008.

He was also voted the Yoruba man of the decade by Pan-Yoruba media outlet Irohin-Odua.

He has been called one of Africa’s 50 most influential people by Pan-African magazines The Africa Report and New African Magazine.

As of 2011, according to Forbes, Joshua was Nigeria’s third-richest pastor, although the claim was immediately denied in a statement by the church. He is known to be controversial and was even ‘blacklisted’ by the government of Cameroon in 2010.