A UK immigration tribunal has ruled that Nigerian pastor Tobi Adegboyega, 44, should be deported to Nigeria following allegations of financial misconduct at his church, SPAC Nation.
The church was shut down for failing to properly account for over £1.87 million in expenses and for operating without transparency.
Adegboyega, who is the cousin of Star Wars actor John Boyega, argued that his deportation would infringe upon his right to a family life under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), citing his marriage to a British woman.
He also contended that the Home Office failed to consider his community work with SPAC Nation in the deportation decision.
However, the tribunal was told that the Home Office contended “all is not as it seems.” Various manifestations of Adegboyega’s church have been closed down due to concerns over its finances and lack of transparency.
Former members of the church have alleged that it is a cult, in which impoverished young people are encouraged to do anything they can to donate money, including taking out large loans, committing benefit fraud, and even selling their own blood.
Adegboyega denied the allegations, describing claims that SPAC Nation was a cult as unfounded and politically motivated attacks, rather, “intervened in the lives of many hundreds of young people, predominantly from the black communities in London, to lead them away from trouble,” he claimed.
Despite his claims of positive community impact, the tribunal ruled that deportation would not significantly impact the church’s operations or Adegboyega’s family life.
Adegboyega’s legal defeat marks the end of his appeal against deportation, and he is now set to be deported to Nigeria.
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Jerome Kalu
Jerome Kalu is currently the Senior Correspondent of PIJAlance in Lagos. He was previously the Campus Information Desk (CID) Editor.