How TB Joshua daughter Ajoke face her 'Daddy’ over accuse of abuse

BBC reveal how di late megachurch leader TB Joshua, wey dey accused of committing sexual crimes on a large scale, lock up im own daughter and torture her for years before dem leave her homeless on di streets of Lagos, Nigeria.

Warning: Dis tori contain details wey fit turn some readers dia belle.

"My dad bin dey fear, e dey in constant fear. E bin dey very afraid say someone go speak up," na so one of di pastor daughters, Ajoke - di first whistle-blower to reach out to di BBC about di abuse she witness for her father church, diSynagogue Church of All Nations (Scoan) tok.

TB Joshua, wey die for 2021 at di age of 57, dey accused of widespread abuse and torture wey cover almost 20 years.

Now at di age of 27, Ajoke dey live in hiding and don drop her surname "Joshua" - di BBC no go publish her new name.

No too much information dey about Ajoke biological mama, who bin dey believed to be one of TB Joshua congregants. Ajoke say na Evelyn, Joshua widow raise her, from as early as she fit remember.

Until di age of seven, Ajoke say she bin get a very happy childhood, she bin dey go on holiday with di Joshua family to places like Dubai.

But one day everything change. Dem suspend her from school for one mata, and one local journalist come write one tori wey refer to her as di illegitimate child of TB Joshua. Na dat time dem comot her from school and take her to di Scoan compound for Lagos.

"Dem move me to di disciples room. I no volunteer to be a disciple. Dem make me join," she tok.

Di disciples be one ogbonge group of dedicated followers wey serve TB Joshua and live with am inside di di church. Dem come from all over di world, many stay for di compound for decades.

Dem live under a strict set of rules: forbidden to sleep for more dan a few hours at a time, forbidden from using dia own phones or having access to dia personal emails, and dem force dem to call TB Joshua "Daddy".

"Di disciples both bin dey brainwashed and dem be enablers. Everybody bin just dey act based on command - like zombies. Nobody dey question anything," she tok.

Ajoke wey just be child no go follow di rules like di oda disciples: she refuse to stand up wen di pastor enta inside di room and rebel against di sleeping orders.

Di abuse start soon afta.

Not long afta she arrive, at di age of seven, she remember say dem dey beat her for wetting di bed and den force her to waka around di compound with a sign around her neck wey say "I be bedwetter."

"Di message about Ajoke be say she get terrible evil spirits wey dey needed to be driven out," one former female disciple tok.

"One time for di disciple meetings - e [Joshua] say pipo fit beat her. Anyone for di female dormitory fit just hit her and I remember just seeing pipo dey slap her as dem dey waka pass," she tok.

From moment Ajoke move to di church inside di Ikotun neighbourhood of Lagos, dem treat her like an outcast.

"She be, like, kind of labelled di black sheep of di family," Rae, from UK, wey spend 12 years living in di church as a disciple tok. Like most of di former disciples wey BBC interview, she choose to use only her first name.

Rae remember one time wen Ajoke sleep for too long, and Joshua shout for her head to get up.

Anoda disciple take her to di shower and "whip her with one electrical cord and den turn on di hot water", she tok.

Recalling di incident, Ajoke say: "I bin dey scream at di top of my voice, and dem just let di water dey run on my head for a very long time."

Di abuse like dat bin dey never-ending, she tok.

"We dey tok about years and years of abuse. Consistent abuse. My existence as a child from anoda mother undermine everything e [TB Joshua] claim to stand for."

Di abuse escalate to a different scale wen she bin dey di age of 17 and she confront her dad about "accounts, first hand, of pipo wey don experience sexual abuse".

"I see female disciples go up to im room. Dem dey go away for hours. I dey hear things: 'Oh dis one happen to me. E try to sleep with me.' Too many pipo bin dey say di same thing," she tok.

BBC speak to more dan 25 former disciples - from UK, Nigeria, US, South Africa, Ghana, Namibia and Germany - wey give powerful corroborating testimony of experiencing or witnessing sexual abuse.

"I no fit take am any more. I waka directly into im office on dat very day. I shout at di top of my voice: 'Why you dey dis? Why you dey hurt all dis women?'

"I bin don lost every single fear for dis man. E try to look me so I go back down, but I bin dey look into im eyes," she tok.

Emmanuel, wey be part of di church for 21 years and spend more dan a decade living in di compound as a disciple, remember dat day clearly.

"E [TB Joshua] be di first pesin wey start to dey hit her… den oda pipo bin join," e tok.

"E bin dey say: 'Can you imagine wetin she dey say about me?' Even as much as dem dey hit her, beat her, she bin still dey say di same thing."

Ajoke say dem drag am out of im office and put her for one room away from di rest of di church members, wia she live in social confinement for more dan one year.

Na a form of punishment within Scoan wey dem call "adaba", something Rae also experienced for two years.

During dis time, Ajoke say dem dey repeatedly hit her with belts and chains, often on a daily basis.

"I wonder how I live through those times. I no fit even stand up for days afta dis beatings. I no fit even take a shower. E bin always dey try so hard to stop pipo from listening to me."

One day wen Ajoke be 19, dem escort her to di front gates of di church and dem leave her dia. Di church security, wey dey armed, dem tell dem say make dem no ever allow her back in. Dis na six years before her papa die.

"I found myself homeless. I bin get nobody to reach out to. Nobody go believe me. Nothing prepare me for dat life," she tok.

As a young woman with no money, Ajoke do wetin she fit to survive and spend many years on di streets.

Ajoke first contact BBC for 2019 afta she watch one BBC Africa Eye exposé - and na so di long BBC investigation into uncovering di abuse for Scoan begin.

BBC contact Scoan with di allegations for dis investigation. E no respond to dem, but deny previous claims against TB Joshua.

"Making unfounded allegations against Prophet TB Joshua no be new thing… None of di allegations ever substantiated," dem tok.

With di help of former disciples and some close friends, Ajoke recently manage to comot from di streets. But e don lead to episodes wia she dey struggle with her mental health.

Yet after everything she has been through, she remained determined to tell di truth about her father.

"Every time dem dey beat me up, every time dem humiliate me, e just remind me say something dey wrong in di system," she tok.

Former disciples don tell BBC say seeing Ajoke stand up to di man na one of di main reasons dem start to doubt dia faith in TB Joshua.

"E keep all of us in slavery, total absolute slavery," Emmanuel tok.

"Ajoke dey bold enough to confront am. I see her as a hero."

Truth, Ajoke tok say, na di most important thing to her: "I lost everything, my home, my family, but for me, e come down to di truth.

"And for as long as breath dey in me, I go defend dat, until di very end."

Her dreams na to one day go back to school and finish her education wey bin dey cut so short.

This Africa Eye investigation was conducted by Charlie Northcott, Helen Spooner, Maggie Andresen, Yemisi Adegoke and Ines Ward.