A Nigerian pastor whose church was shut down over an alleged £1.87 million fraud may face deportation, but he has reacted, claiming it would amount to a breach of his rights.
An immigration tribunal had ruled that Tobi Adegboyega, 44, the cousin of John Boyega, the Star Wars actor, should be deported back to his native Nigeria after investigations, including by The Telegraph, exposed misuse of funds by his church.
Adegboyega was head of SPAC Nation, a controversial church shut down after failing to properly account for more than £1.87 million of outgoings and operating with a lack of transparency.
According to him, deportation would breach his right under the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) to a family life—having married a British woman.
He also said the attempt to remove him by the Home Office failed to take account of his community work with SPAC.
Describing a “charismatic” community leader of a large, well-organised church, his legal team claimed that he had “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 his work had been “lauded” by politicians, including Boris Johnson, and senior figures within the Metropolitan Police, although no testimony by them was submitted to the court.
He said that without his personal presence in London, projects that he had masterminded would fall apart or reduce in size.
However, the tribunal was told the Home Office contended, “All is not as it seems.”
“Various manifestations of [Mr. Adegboyega’s] church have been closed down by either the Charity Commission or the High Court because of concerns over its finances and lack of transparency,” according to the judgment.
“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.
“It is alleged that the church leadership led lavish lifestyles, and there have, it is said, been instances of abuse. The [Home Office’s] case before us was that all of this needs to be taken into account when evaluating whether [Mr. Adegboyega] is in fact of real value to the UK.”
Mr. Adegboyega has lived in the UK unlawfully since overstaying on a visitor’s visa that allowed him to enter Britain in 2005.
In 2019, he applied for leave to remain under ECHR’s right to a family life, and his application was initially dismissed by a first-tier immigration tribunal before he appealed.
In the tribunal, he maintained no one had ever faced criminal charges over his church’s finances, that many of the attacks on him and SPAC Nation were politically motivated, and that claims it was a cult were unfounded.
However, the tribunal was told the Charity Commission concluded, “There had been serious misconduct and/or mismanagement in the administration of the charity, which was sustained over a substantial period of time.”
The tribunal also found Mr. Adegboyega’s evidence to be “hyperbolic in many instances” and had “sought to grossly inflate his influence.”
“We find it to be implausible that he has the time to undertake all of this work personally,” it said.
The tribunal concluded: “We are not satisfied that the good work that SPAC Nation undertakes generally would collapse or even significantly suffer should the appellant be required to leave the UK.
“Weighing all of the foregoing in the balance, we conclude that the decision to refuse leave to remain was wholly proportionate.
Meanwhile, Mr. Dele Olawanle, Adegboyega’s lawyer, has clarified that Adegboyega is not facing deportation from the United Kingdom, contrary to recent media reports.
In a statement posted on the lawyer’s X (formerly Twitter) page on Tuesday, Dele expressed amusement at the false claims, emphasising that deportation applies only to criminals, and Pastor Adegboyega has no criminal record.
Having lived in the UK for over 20 years without any convictions, he has made significant contributions to the community.
The lawyer also clarified that despite facing challenges with the charity commission and the courts over the activities of SPAC NATIONS, Pastor Adegboyega was never personally found guilty of any wrongdoing.
The sensationalized reports were described as “idiocy” and based on ignorance of basic immigration laws.
In response to the public outcry and critical comments surrounding the news, the lawyer urged people to refrain from spreading unfounded information.
He lamented society’s tendency to revel in others’ misfortune and expressed concern about how quickly individuals, particularly those in the African community, are quick to tear down those who stand out.
The lawyer further stated that as Pastor Adegboyega’s legal representative, he had previously written in support of him during the High Court decisions related to SPAC NATIONS and reiterated that the deportation story is entirely false.
He concluded by confirming that no further comments would be made on the matter, whether privately or officially.
It wrote:”People with calls and text messages have inundated me since last night. I could not stop laughing when I read that Tobi Adegboyega faces deportation from the United Kingdom.
”The newspaper that carried the news was ignorant. I have acted for him as a lawyer on a personal basis and for the ministry. He is not facing deportation from the UK. That is elementary immigration laws for journalists.
”Deportation is for criminals. He is not. Even though the courts and the charity commission had issues with SPAC NATIONS, he was not personally found guilty of any wrongdoings.
Tobi has lived in the UK for at least 20 years without a criminal conviction. He has contributed significantly to the British community. He has faced many challenges, but he is a winner.
”Many of his adversaries are from the African community. Sensationalism is an act of idiocy. It is not worth the paper it was written on. I read some comments this morning and wondered why people are so quick to make ignorant comments without facts.
”I wondered why there is joy in seeing people go down, including so-called pastors. Society has a big problem, as we cannot handle people who are different and want them to go down.
”We love people who act sheepishly with zombie traits. As his lawyer, I wrote during the High Court decisions on SPAC NATIONS a few years ago. I have said that this latest news on deportation is false, and I will make no further comments on this deportation matter privately or officially.”
STATEMENT BY TOBI ADEGBOYEGA’S LAWYER
People with calls and text messages have inundated me since last night.
I could not stop laughing when I read that Tobi Adegboyega faces deportation from the United Kingdom. The newspaper that carried the news was ignorant. I have acted…
— Dele Olawanle (@dolawanle) December 4, 2024
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