The
incident took place at The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN), a large
multicultural church headed by popular Pastor T.B. Joshua.
The
revelation came from a man named ‘Mustapha’ who claimed Boko Haram was a cult
into which he was initiated. He stated that he came to the church last week
with four accomplices and a bomb hidden within a bag.
According
to Mustapha, who spoke publicly in the church service which was telecast live
via Christian television station Emmanuel TV, “We dropped at the junction
opposite the church. There was a man who used to sell sweets, soap and
cigarettes near there. I met the man and asked him to help me keep the bag I
was carrying. It contained our instruments – bombs – to destroy people.”
However,
Mustapha said the local trader refused to collect the bag and the group sat
down to eat. “Our plan was to take souls, to destroy at this Synagogue Church,”
he said.
According to him, they planned to
leave the bomb, which has a timing device, within the church premises and then
immediately leave.
However,
at a restaurant opposite the popular church in Lagos, Mustapha recounted a
strange incident. “We were watching the television and discussing. It was
Emmanuel TV and I saw T.B. Joshua preaching to people”.
Mustapha,
who had never attended church before, said when Joshua started praying, as part
of the usual telecasts, the insurgents felt immediately uncomfortable. “That
was when confusion came between us and everybody scattered,” he added.
According
to the Boko Haram member, he was ‘haunted’ and restless ever since this
incident. He said he would see Pastor Joshua in his dreams warning him not to
return to the sect.
“Any
time I lie down, I will be seeing you (T.B. Joshua) in my dream,” he told the
pastor. “I don’t sleep in the night. You are disturbing me. You keep praying
for me. I cannot close my eyes without seeing you. Please, help me.”
Later
in the service, Joshua prayed for the young man, stating that it was an ‘evil
spirit’ that propelled him to join the sect. “My mission is to separate him
from the spirit that is controlling him to do that. We are not to fight mere
flesh and blood,” he stated.
As
T.B. Joshua prayed, the Boko Haram member was seen falling violently on the
floor and then vomitting. A tattoo of a scorpion was shown on his shoulder,
which he explained was an identifying feature of the cult members.
Mustapha
subsequently confessed that he was part of the insurgents that attacked a
military airbase in north-eastern Nigeria in early December, destroying two
helicopters, as well as the attack on Michika town in Adamawa recently which
led to nearly 40 deaths.
After
the prayer, Mustapha got up from the floor and began to cry. “The spirit
leading him to kill is gone,” Joshua declared to applause from the onlookers.
The young man was then away from the public.
T.B.
Joshua is a well known name, particularly in Africa where he is said to be
among the 50 most influential people. His church owns a Christian television
station called Emmanuel TV, has almost 1,000,000 followers on Facebook and
regularly receives influential African politicians and celebrities to its
services.
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