The revelations from the BBC Africa Eye’s latest documentary about one of Nigeria's most well-known public figures has elicited polarizing reactions on social media from across the continent.

Through a freshly released three-part documentary titled Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua, the late preacher, who was known to many around the world as a charismatic and religious idol, is now posthumously facing allegations of rape, torture, abuse, and forced abortions experienced by former worshippers.

By interviewing members of the famed Synagogue Church of all Nations, the investigation revealed Joshua to be at the center of these atrocities. The BBC accompanied their exposé with a full editorial on the beloved church leader, alleging that this plethora of abuse had taken place in a clandestine Lagos compound for almost 20 years.

The “disciples,” based off the documentary title and not to be confused with a literal biblical definition, are a prized stable of alleged victims who sat down with the BBC to share their harrowing stories. Mostly women, they span race and ethnicity, by account of Joshua shaping his church into a global, miracle-working behemoth.

The revelations have hit social media hard. While the doc has drawn out the expected memes, as per usual internet practice, a myriad of perspectives have also come to the fore. One of them, on X, formerly known as Twitter, is simple and straightforward, saying, "Anything they said TB Joshua did, he did it. EOD."

This isn’t the first time Joshua – or his megachurch - has been faced such allegations. Unverified claims have been made before but none have been as thoroughly as investigated as this set has been now. Together with tweets like the one mentioned above make it seem as if there may indeed have been reason to listen to these claims before now.

Other reactions range from disbelief to unflinching trust in the investigation to accusing the BBC of ignoring Western culprits while running investigative stories on Africans. In the mix are also comments about a lack of damning or supporting evidence in the documentary.

Expectedly, there have been those who have disparaged the documentary, rendering support to one of Africa’s most famous preachers of the 21st century. Over at YouTube, where the three-part documentary can be found, massive clusters of unwavering support have been lodged under each entry -- perhaps in a bid to rescue the memory of the televangelist from the sinking sands of the BBC’s investigation.

Joshua, who died in 2021, has continued to live on through the mythology of his countless miracles. It’s worth mentioning that there have been previous questions about the veracity of his abilities in the past. Whether this new doc changes his mythical status in the public's eyes will still be seen.