Pastor Tobi Adegboyega, the senior pastor of SPAC Nation (Salvation Proclaimers Anointed Church), has lost his legal battle against deportation from the UK following allegations of financial misconduct amounting to £1.87 million.
A UK immigration tribunal has ruled that Adegboyega, 44, who has been living unlawfully in the UK since 2005 after overstaying his visitor's visa, is to be deported to Nigeria. His church was previously shut down due to concerns over financial irregularities and a lack of transparency.
Adegboyega maintained that deportation would contravene his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), citing his marriage to a British citizen and his community work. His legal team depicted him as a charismatic leader who had positively influenced hundreds of young people, particularly from Black communities in London, by steering them away from crime. They also asserted that his work had been praised by politicians like Boris Johnson and senior Metropolitan Police officials, though no supporting evidence from these figures was provided in court.
However, the tribunal found the Home Office's arguments convincing, with officials presenting evidence of financial mismanagement, allegations of cult-like practices within the church, and claims that vulnerable members were pressured to donate substantial sums through loans, benefit fraud, and even selling their blood.
The tribunal also drew attention to allegations of opulent lifestyles led by the church's leadership and reports of abuse, concluding that these concerns detracted from Adegboyega's claims of significant value to the UK.
Although Adegboyega maintained that no criminal charges had been brought against him or the church, and that the accusations were politically motivated, the tribunal nonetheless upheld the decision to deport him. Adegboyega had previously applied for leave to remain in 2019 based on his family life, but his application was rejected, leading to the current appeal.
