It is 10:25am on Sunday 19 September. Thousands of worshippers across the globe are tuned into the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN)’s Emmanuel TV as they watch a clip of the late TB Joshua, founder of the church and minister for the day’s service. Around the same time, at the church headquarters in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos, people trickle in to pray and pay their last respects to the late pastor whose pictures dot the church premises.

WhatsApp Image 2021-09-21 at 10.39.12 © Outside Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) on 19 September 2021 (by Dele Yusuf)
A few things are out of place though: there seems to be more security personnel on the ground than church members and visitors on the premises. Unlike what is usually the case, there are just a handful of church workers, since many of them were sacked by the new leadership under Evelyn, TB Joshua’s wife, according to sources.
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