Did a trip to Nigeria change Constance Marten forever?

The British socialite, recently convicted for the death of her newborn baby, once spent months at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in Lagos, under the late televangelist, Temitope Balogun Joshua, popularly known as TB Joshua.

Now, questions are being asked: Did her experience at the church set her on a path to tragedy?

In 2006, Marten, who was 19 and had just left a £30,000-a-year state school, traveled with her mother, Virginie de Selliers, to Lagos.

Their destination was SCOAN, TB Joshua’s sprawling religious complex, run by a self-proclaimed prophet who attracted believers from all over the globe.

Her mother returned home, but Marten stayed on for three months as a disciple within the church.

Ex-members describe SCOAN as a strict, controlling environment. Disciples, they claim, endured rules that stripped them of privacy and dignity.

“If you wanted to shower or change clothes, you could not cover yourself,” one former member said. “Nudity was enforced. If you tried to hide, you would be reported and punished.”

Sleep was rationed to about four hours a night, and breaking rules meant public humiliation before hundreds of followers.

“It was all about breaking people down to total submission,” the source added.

While there is no evidence Marten suffered sexual abuse, allegations of rape and forced abortions against TB Joshua have surfaced in recent years — accusations the church strongly denies.

Friends and family say the experience changed Marten completely.

“She went out there strong-willed and came back broken,” a family friend told UK media. “Everyone talks about two Constances — the one before Lagos and the one after. TB Joshua ruined her life.”

Even her father, Napier Marten, said the Lagos trip appeared to be the “trigger” for much of the harm that followed, leaving his daughter vulnerable to manipulation.

Years later, Marten herself admitted: “The outcome of being involved in a cult has huge effects… Your character is completely broken apart.”

By 2013, Marten considered exposing TB Joshua’s church.

Working with Al Jazeera, she pitched a documentary idea to uncover abuse at SCOAN. She even contacted ex-disciples for help.

But insiders warned her it would be dangerous.

“TB Joshua would do anything to protect his name,” said Bisola Johnson, a former church insider who turned whistleblower.

The documentary never happened.

Marten eventually returned to normal life — or so it seemed. She studied journalism, travelled widely, and embraced alternative lifestyles. But the scars from Lagos never fully healed.

“She went from one coercive situation to another,” said a former SCOAN member. “When people don’t get the help they need, this is what happens.”

Years later, Marten met Mark Gordon, a man with a violent past.

Their relationship became toxic and controlling. In February 2023, after months on the run, police found the remains of their newborn baby in a plastic bag.

Last week, Marten was jailed for manslaughter by gross negligence.

The church has distanced itself from Marten.

A spokesperson of the church said: “We do not know of nor are affiliated with Constance Marten and are unaware of any connection she may have to the Synagogue Church of All Nations. All previous allegations against SCOAN and TB Joshua are inherently false and deeply troubling.”

But critics insist Marten’s story is another reason to question the legacy of TB Joshua, whose ministry attracted millions but remains dogged by scandal years after his death in 2021.

What do you think? Did her time in Lagos set the stage for tragedy? Or is this coincidence?