YouTube terminates TB Joshua’s official channel

It happens weeks after proof of the late preacher's widespread sexual abuse and torture was found during an investigation by the BBC and openDemocracy.

His ascent from a local preacher to a worldwide celebrity was greatly aided by Emmanuel TV.

After TB Joshua passed away in 2021, his wife Evelyn Joshua took over as leader of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (Scoan).

Regarding the removal, the church has not reacted, but it has stated that prior accusations of misconduct were "unfounded".

On YouTube, Emmanuel TV had hundreds of millions of views and more than half a million followers.

Its YouTube channel has been suspended twice in the last three years due to violations of the community guidelines on the platform.

OpenDemocracy examined Emmanuel TV's online presence as part of the BBC inquiry, and they discovered at least 50 "abusive" videos on YouTube.

Following a notification from their team to YouTube about the videos, the account was suspended on January 29.

The Google-owned video-sharing website informed the BBC that Emmanuel TV had been "terminated for violating... hate speech policies."

Famous for his "healing" ministries, TB Joshua recorded hundreds of services purporting to show him healing the physically ill and physically crippled. These claims have since been refuted by a number of former churchgoers.

Emmanuel TV images of mentally ill persons being held in chains, instances of medical disinformation, and instances of smear efforts against women who came forward about TB Joshua's sexual abuse were among the items that openDemocracy exposed.

The popular satellite services DStv and GOTv are operated by MultiChoice, a South African corporation that discontinued Emmanuel TV's satellite channel on January 17.

With millions of viewers worldwide, the channel was for a long time one of the most prosperous Christian networks in the world.

After the BBC's investigation into TB Joshua was published, some contributors received online trolling from accounts connected to churches and Emmanuel TV. OpenDemocracy also reported these accounts to YouTube, but they haven't been taken down.

 YouTube and other social media platforms have come under intense scrutiny in recent years over their online safety policies.