World Of Secrets - The Disciples: 5. The Maze

Episode Date: January 8, 2024

Anneka confronts TB Joshua. What really happened in his fifth-floor apartment at the top of the Lagos church compound? And can she escape his clutches? Anneka flees home to England but her ordeal isn���t over. TB Joshua sends one of his most trusted disciples to bring her back. “I knew she’d been sent to take me,” Anneka says. Hosts Charlie Northcott and Yemisi Adegoke unravel a story of miracles, faith and manipulation, carried out by one of the most powerful religious figures of the century. Please note, this season of World of Secrets contains graphic descriptions of sexual and physical violence, including sexual assault, rape and the language associated with it. This episode includes descriptions of forced abortions.If you've been affected by any of the issues in this series, please contact support organisations in your own country. For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support for survivors of sexual abuse, go to bbc.co.uk/actionline#WorldofSecrets

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Before we start, some episodes in this series of World of Secrets contain graphic descriptions of sexual and physical violence, including sexual assault, rape and the language associated with it. This episode also includes graphic descriptions of forced abortions. I was not going to let him speak to me. I was going to say, can you talk? Are you on your own? Maybe he might say yes.

After two and a half years, Annika has just left TB Joshua's church. She's back home in England, trying to piece her life back together. I will then have a speech I was going to say, and then I'll put the phone down. Hello? I said, Daddy, are you alone? And I said, I believe the relationship I have with you is wrong, and I'm never coming back. and I'm never coming back. And for those few seconds before I put the phone down, I heard him shouting for people and panicked.

I could tell he was scared because I confronted him and said, it's not right what you're doing to me. And I put the phone down. And then I hid in my dad's flat. I didn't leave it for about a week. I didn't leave at all. I was petrified. I didn't answer the door.

I didn't go out anywhere. We sat on the sofa and I told him what Tuba Joshua was doing to me. And my dad was, I remember he buried his head in his hands. I'm his darling, I'm his daughter, you know, I don't think you knew what to say. He hugged me and said, it's not going to happen anymore, you're not going to go back there. While Annika was trying to put TB Joshua and the horror of the past two years behind her, she was still very much on his mind. Having confronted him, Annika had become a threat to TB Joshua. He wasn't going to let it go. This is World of Secrets. Season two, The Disciples.

A BBC World Service investigation with me, Charlie Norske. And me, Yemi Siadigoke. Episode five, The Maze. After the call that Annika made to TB Joshua, he summoned one of his most favoured and trusted disciples, then known by her biblical name, Rachel. He called me and he started me asking me questions. We now know, as Ray, about my country and what's the worst thing that a man can do in your country, paedophilia or like rape. And he was like, and what would happen to that person? I said, well, if they were found guilty,

they'd go to prison. And he started talking about your sister, Annika, she doesn't want to come back home. And then he said to me that he, how far will I go with him? And I said, as far as God wants to take me. He said, I go and send you on a special assignment. I need you to go and I need

you to bring Annika home because God wants to use her and Satan is trying to take her away from her calling. Annika was still only 20 years old when she returned home. The last time anyone from her childhood had seen her, she'd left with no explanation. Now she was back, with no job, no degree and no money. She was able to find a bit of work at her old school. Just to help out, just to get back to normality again. One day, on her way to work. I went and stood outside at the bus stop and was standing on the road waiting for the bus to go to my old school and I saw someone walking towards me on her own. I recognised who it was immediately.

I always really liked Rachel and And I considered her my friend. But I knew how dedicated she was. She was still in that mindset. I knew why she was walking towards me. She was walking towards me because she'd been sent. She saw me, I mean, we were metres apart. But I could just see, like, her whole body language change and, like, this terror on her face. She was very casual.

She went, hey! I can't believe you're here. And I was just popping round. She was very, and I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah. I didn't believe a word of it. My mandate was that I must not let her know that TB Joshua had sent me, that it was a lie, that I must say, you know, I was just there to get my visa and I, like, wanted to go see her

because I hadn't seen her for a long time, which is basically what I spat at her verbatim. Were you frightened when you first saw her? I was frightened because I knew why she was there she was there to take me back but at the same time a few weeks had passed and I knew I was stronger now and I knew my own mind now I was more scared at how hard she was going to fight for me to get me to go back. But seeing it from the outside now, I could see the tactics and I could see it for what it was and I was an insider.

The same tactics she was using were the same ones I would have used. We went for pizza and she proceeded to tell me about things daddy had been doing to her. I just came out with it he's doing this to me he's doing that to me. So she sat there and she was like um yeah you know like daddy had laid on her. And I was like, OK, like, what else? And then she kind of explained in a little bit more detail, not a lot of detail, but just enough for me to know that it was inappropriate. And I kind of sat there... ..as if she was talking about making toast.

She was very calm. And she said, have you talked to Daddy about this? You know, Daddy's done so much for you. You know, are you going to throw that all away? All the future he has for you, everything he's done for you? And I remember thinking, what has he done for me? What has he done for me, really? What, taken me away from all my friends and family and abused me. What has he done for me?

I didn't say that's what was happening in my head. I just said have you talked to God? I really did care for her as a person and I didn't want her to disconnect and like her life be in trouble which is what I believed it would be if she like said bad stuff against God's anointed. She continued to talk to me throwing scriptures at me throwing quotes at me about whatever it was you can sort it out and I knew she wasn't going to take no for an answer. So I switched gears and I started agreeing with her. And I said, yeah, maybe I will call you. I've got your number if you ever want to come back. I'm here for another so-and-so days and then you can call me and we can go by.

Yeah, yeah, sure, sure, sure. And then she started going to leave. She was making headway. And she exited the cafe. And she looked at me. And I looked at her. And she knew I wasn't coming back. And we had a little bit of a moment.

She didn't come back with me. And from that day on, nobody else knew what happened. I never told anyone what she told me. That moment would have a profound effect on Ray too. Here was Annika, her friend, telling her that TB Joshua had been sexually inappropriate and assaulted her. Ray knew exactly what she was talking about.

I do remember being quite shaken because I didn't know that that thing had happened to anybody else. I genuinely thought it was just me. Ray has no idea when it started. Life as a disciple was so disorientating. What she does remember is the moment TB Joshua summoned her up the stairs to his bedroom. I went to him and he said to me, oh, can you take your pyjama bottoms off?

And I just was like a robot. I just, I just was like, oh, yes, sir. And then he, he took his leg and he kind of wrapped it around one of my legs there was like a cream carpet it was like super soft carpet he lowered me backwards and then he started sticking his tongue like in my ear and I totally froze. I just panicked. And then like within five minutes, he's basically done his business, masturbated on me basically, gets up

and says to me, okay, you can go. I'm walking down these steps and I'm thinking, like what happened to me? It's almost as if it happened to another person. But it didn't, it happened to me. Just as with Annika,

Ray says she was sleep-deprived when this incident took place. Her mind is foggy. The memories are fragmented. I'll find a justification for it because it's that person who I believe is infallible, who I believe is God or whatever, which was the big mistake I made. That I made with a lot of things I saw and happened to me and other people in Lagos. I justified them because if I didn't do so, my whole world was going to fall apart. And the person who I loved and had dedicated my life to wasn't who he said he was.

What happened in TB Joshua's apartment led Ray to seriously question her faith in him for the first time. Since she was first recruited by Bisola, Ray had become one of his most faithful disciples. But what she didn't know was that Bisola hadn't picked her based just on her faith. TV Joshua had tasked Bisola to recruit a certain type of disciple. I was coordinator of youth. He made me coordinator of youth. He made me coordinator of youth.

He asked me to bring young girls into Disciple Fold. Young girls, Bisola says, that he would take a special interest in. So he called them in, asking them what they want to become. He would promise to send them to school. He will be giving them some money that their parents couldn't afford. He make them to believe that he really loves them and he care for them and he wants better future for them. Particularly, Bisola says, if they'd never had sex.

Those who are virgins will be separated Bisola says, if they'd never had sex. Those who are virgins will be separated. And he will ask them, are you a virgin? Are you a virgin? He called me to his apartment. Jessica, from Namibia, ended up on the fifth floor too. You've already heard her talking about TB Joshua's strange behaviour at Prayer Mountain, his rituals, the chanting. Jessica was just 17 when TB Joshua recruited her.

He touched my breast and he was hugging me and breathing heavily. So I took his hands off and I put them together. He said that you are acting like a baby, so get out. After she left the room, Jessica says she went to see another disciple for advice. I went to ask her, does he touch you inappropriately? She jumped and said no. touch you inappropriately. She jumped and said, no, he's my father. Even if he touches me, even if he hugs me,

I know that he is my father. And she was reported. She reported me and said, he asked, do I do that to you? Can I do that? A man of God? Then came the punishment. Jessica says she was forced to sleep outside of the dormitory in the car park for two weeks, isolated from the other disciples.

Then she was asked back to his bedroom. He gave me a hug and said, off your clothes. So I removed my clothes and then he just pointed. So I lied down and then he raped me. He broke my virginity. I felt like there was a beast, like this beast. I was screaming and he was whispering in my ear that you should stop, stop acting like a baby. And after, he had a message for her.

So he held my hands, I held the bucket and he held my hands and he looked straight into my eyes. I got started shaking, shaking, shaking, shaking, shaking. He held my hands and said, don't betray me. Should I follow my heart or swim? In 2015, Shamima Begum and her two school friends travelled to Syria to join the Islamic State group. Breaking news this morning, three British schoolgirls are reportedly missing. Shamima Begum was the only one of the girls to emerge from the ashes of the so-called caliphate.

And now she wants to come home. What do you think people think of you? As a danger, as a potential risk. The Shamima Begum Story, Series 2 of I'm Not a Monster. Find it wherever you get your BBC podcasts. What do Tiger Woods, Mark Zuckerberg and Taylor Swift all have in common? Well, their lives and fortunes are all being discussed on Good Bad Billionaire, the podcast exploring the minds, motives and the money of some of the world's wealthiest

individuals. I'm Zing Zing and each week my co-presenter Simon Jack and I take a closer look at the world's mega rich and we try to decide whether they're good, bad or just another billionaire. From celebs and CEOs to spot stars and tech titans, find out how billionaires made their money and how they use it. Good Bad Billionaire from the BBC World Service. All episodes of season one and two are available now wherever you get your BBC podcasts. And click follow or subscribe so you never miss a new episode. One question I'm often asked when telling people about this story is why authorities never stepped in.

Did they know? The answer, in Annika's case, is yeah, they did. is why authorities never stepped in. Did they know? The answer, in Annika's case, is yeah, they did. When I got back to the UK, I was determined to try and get back to normal life again. When Annika escaped from the compound, she went to the police. I told this police officer everything that happened, and she put me in contact with my local police station and they sent over an sexual abuse officer. I told her everything and that was scary. I'm glad I did, I'm glad I did that.

And what did the police do? The police lady that took my statement said because this happened in another country there's What did the police do? The police lady that took my statement said, because this happened in another country, there's not much we can do. We don't have any jurisdiction there. All we can do is take all your information, take your story, and give it to Interpol. That's it. There's nothing we can do. So I was still hopeful.

I thought, well, it's on record now. I've given everything, I've given every single detail I can possibly think. I've given names, I've given places and dates. And that will be on file forever. But I never heard anything back. We're going to come back to the lack of action from the authorities. anything. Back. We're going to come back to the lack of action from the authorities. But first we need to return to the compound. Because

while Annika was now out, slowly and painstakingly rebuilding her life, inside the compound, the alleged assaults were continuing. All of the women who went through this believed at the time they were the only victim. How is it possible, enclosed in a compound where everyone sleeps communally in dormitories, that violent assaults like this could remain a secret?

The answer may lie with the men who served TB Joshua inside his penthouse on the fifth floor of the church. One of his most devoted servants was Emmanuel. I'm the last person that anybody would think that would come up and say in detail all that happened there. Because I was very, very loyal to the system. Emmanuel is one of many Nigerian men born into the synagogue church system. He attended their Sunday school as a child and was a member for over 22 years.

And for nine years of his life, starting age 16, Emmanuel was a disciple. But not just any disciple. He was known as a fifth story brother, a personal servant to TB Joshua, who lived with him inside his exclusive apartment in the compound. Working with him in general was like serving a God. The Fifth Story brothers were on call 24-7 and served TB Joshua's every need. They ironed his clothes, carried his phone for him, they even put on his socks for him in the morning. He has to be the first thing I would think of. Where is he now? Has he eaten? Has he taken his bath? Is his shower ready? Is there water rushing in his room? Almost all my brain is all about him. So everything is just him, him, him, him, him.

Emmanuel was so dedicated to TB Joshua, he slept on his bathroom floor. And it was in this room that he started to piece together crucial bits of information, bits of evidence. crucial bits of information, bits of evidence. I started taking note of details. I would see some of those ladies entering into the room. Through the back door. So obviously, they entered through the back door and met him in the room. Emmanuel's duties also included getting TB Joshua's boxer shorts washed. When I picked the boxer up, then I see it's wet with cement on it.

I'll be like, really? I start joining things together. This person told me this and this is happening here. That obviously made me believe that he was sexually abusing the women there. Emmanuel claims TB Joshua was assaulting female disciples multiple times a week during the years that he lived there. If I'm going to count in a week, in a week, seeing these things like four to five times in a week.

Every week? Yes, every week. Because I was like, this guy can be this bad. Emmanuel isn't the only servant who told us this. Four others also described witnessing these things beneath the bathroom door. And the building itself, the compound,

was the key to keeping all of this secret. Jessica remembers the strange layout of his fifth-story apartment. The five-story had up to three or four entrances. It would always tell you which entrance to take. Each room was connected to each other. There was a staircase leading to the five-story department. The other staircase leads to the dining room. The other staircase leads to the office.

There was different entrances, so it was difficult for people to see you. He designed that building. He's the only one who understood what he was doing when he designed that church. when he designed that church. There were a lot of secret entrances, you know, and staircases that were not the same. This one is narrow and he knew exactly, precisely what he was doing. He designed it in that way, like a maze. Many of the disciples we've spoken to believe that TB Joshua's compound was built with sexual abuse in mind.

Where he could call a woman up to his room and almost nobody would know what had happened behind that closed door. According to some of the disciples, he had a plan for everything, including for the women he assaulted, like Jessica. He used to ask me or us about our periods, because he wanted to know if there could be a possibility that we might be pregnant or not. He said, you cannot betray man of God. So if it is that way, we have to do something about it. One day, Jessica did miss her period.

I got pregnant. He called one of the nurses. Immediately she just grabbed my hand and we went through the back door. We went downstairs. We passed through a dining room. And then out of the back door of the dining room and there was a medical area. So we went there and then she took me to another back room that is in that same clinic and she went to insert the pill. When she inserted

that pill inside very, very painful. She laid like a plastic thing for me when these things were coming out and I was to push

and then she was squeezing my stomach and I had to push all those things. And when they sent you to a clinic to have a portion, did you have any say in the matter? No. Ciclay was another of TB Joshua's disciples and a singer in his church's choir. May, Clay is one of the women I've spoken to who alleges she was raped by T.P. Joshua. But that was not the end of her ordeal. you know it, you skip your first period, you skip your second period, and you have to talk.

It would all done in secrecy, you'd be taken to this clinic of his. When you get to the clinic, you're given another concoction to drink, you get sick, or they put these metal pieces in your vagina and they extract whatever, and you don't know whether they're pulling out your womb or something's going wrong. I had three abortions at synagogue. It was a nightmare.

And sometimes you'd find yourself singing on stage at church. I was a chorister. I'd find myself singing. I was a chorister. I'd find myself singing. And people will think you're crying because the Holy Spirit is there. But in actual fact, you're dead inside. You're broken. You're broken. Breathe in me.

You're broken. You live with this thing within yourself where you end up bearing it down and shelving it. And then what happens? You master the art of pretending as though everything is fine when you know it's not. everything is fine, when you know it's not. You'd never get a chance to say what just happened. Victims of sexual abuse often use different types of language to describe their experience,

often influenced by their age, culture and to an extent where they are in their recovery. But to be clear, over the past two years, we've interviewed 16 people with first-hand accounts of sexual assault and rape by TB Joshua. A number of them claim they were forced to have multiple abortions. Next time on The Disciples. The human cost goes beyond the compound. He believed, and I think was led to believe by T.B. Joshua and his supporters,

that taking any medication was a sign of doubt. How big is this problem, this problem of, you know, prophets and pastors, you know, telling people to stop taking medication and then dying? Scale of zero to ten, I would say 99.5. Yes, it's bad. And disciples, including Ray, question the role they played. I like wholeheartedly believe that as ridiculous as it might sound now and as unscientific as it might sound now at that time I believed that message. We approach the Synagogue Church of All Nations with the allegations made in this series.

They did not offer a response or address any of the claims directly, but in an earlier email told us that making unfounded allegations against Prophet TB Joshua is not a new occurrence. None of the allegations was ever substantiated. Thanks for listening to World of Secrets, Season 2, The Disciples, from the BBC World Service.

This is Episode 5 of 9. Thank you to everyone around the world who spoke to us and shared their stories for this investigation. We want as many people as possible to hear their stories, so please do tell others about World of Secrets. And where you can do, rate and leave a review. We'd be really grateful and it really does help. This season of World of Secrets is produced by

BBC Audio Documentaries and is presented by me, Yemi Siadigoke and Charlie Northcott. and is presented by me, Yemi Siadigoke, and Charlie Northcott. It's been made in collaboration with BBC Africa Eye, with original investigation by Charlie Northcott and Helen Spooner. The producer is Rob Byrne. The executive producer is Georgia Catt. The series editor is Philip Sellers. At the BBC World Service, the senior podcast producer is Lee Trung,

and the podcast commissioning editor is John Manel. Thank you again for listening. For just as long as Hollywood has been Tinseltown, there have been suspicions about what lurks behind the glitz and glamour. Concerns about radical propaganda in the motion pictures. And for a while, those suspicions grew into something much bigger and much darker. Are you a member of the Communist Party? Or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party? I'm Una Chaplin, and this is Hollywood Exiles. It's about a battle for the political soul of America, and the battlefield was Hollywood. All episodes of Hollywood Exiles from the BBC World Service and CBC are available now. Search for Hollywood Exiles wherever you get your podcasts.