YouTube has blocked the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) channel which was founded by the late Nigerian televangelist TB Joshua for hate speech violations.
The dismissal comes after several weeks of investigation by the BBC and OpenDemocracy, which turned up proof of the controversial preacher’s involvement in widespread sexual abuse and torture.
Emmanuel TV, a key player in TB Joshua’s global rise from local pastor to renowned televangelist, had accumulated over half a million followers on YouTube with hundreds of millions of views. This is not the first time the channel has faced suspension; it previously violated community guidelines leading to a temporary shutdown three years ago.
While the church, now under the leadership of TB Joshua’s widow, Evelyn Joshua, has not officially commented on the removal, it had previously dismissed allegations of wrongdoing as “unfounded.”
OpenDemocracy, in collaboration with the BBC, conducted an investigation into Emmanuel TV’s online content.
The analysis uncovered at least 50 “abusive” videos on YouTube, which were promptly reported to the platform. Consequently, YouTube suspended the account on January 29, citing violations of its hate speech policies.
This comes off the back of MultiChoice, a South African company operating satellite services DStv and GOTv, dropping Emmanuel TV’s satellite channel on January 17.
It used to be one of the most popular Christian networks in the world, reaching millions of people across the globe.
