A former University of Brighton student is among dozens of ex-church members who have alleged widespread sexual abuse by a renowned Nigerian preacher.

The BBC says it has uncovered evidence of rape and forced abortions, as well as physical violence, by the late TB Joshua, the founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations - one of the biggest Christian evangelical churches in the world.

The alleged abuse is said to have taken place over 30 years in a secretive compound in Lagos.

A British woman, named as Rae by the BBC, said: “We all thought we were in heaven, but we were in hell, and in hell terrible things happen.”

Rae told the BBC that she spent 12 years as one of Joshua’s “disciples” after giving up her degree in Brighton in 2002.

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Rae, who compared her experience to being in a cult, said she was sexually assaulted by Joshua and subjected to a form of solitary confinement for two years, leading to multiple suicide attempts.

Five Britons are alleged to have been assaulted by Joshua.

Four of the British victims, aged between 15 and 21 at the time, say they reported the matter to UK police. The case was sent to Interpol but no further action was taken.

A spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said: “We take all reports of crime, including sexual assault and violence against British nationals overseas, very seriously.

“Our trained consular teams are contactable 24 hours a day, ready to offer support and advice to British nationals, including on how to report such crimes to the local authorities.

“We always encourage British nationals who want to raise rape and sexual assault allegations, whether current or historic, to contact our consular teams who can support them to report these to the authorities.”

TB Joshua, who died in 2021, had a huge global following.

The Synagogue Church of All Nations did not respond to the BBC’s allegations but said previous claims have been unfounded.