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The United Kingdom has decided to deport Pastor Tobi Adegboyega, a prominent Nigerian cleric, after he lost his legal battle to remain in the country.
According to PUNCH Online, the UK government had previously shut down his church, SPAC Nation, following investigations that uncovered financial mismanagement and a lack of transparency in its operations. Reports revealed that over £1.87 million in church funds were unaccounted for, prompting authorities to close the organization.
The Telegraph reported that the immigration tribunal ruled against Adegboyega, mandating his deportation to Nigeria. Adegboyega initially entered the UK on a visitor’s visa in 2005 but has since remained unlawfully.
In 2019, he sought leave to remain in the UK under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), citing his right to a family life. He argued that deportation would disrupt his marriage to a British citizen and undermine his work with SPAC Nation, which he claimed had positively impacted hundreds of young people in London’s Black community.
His legal team described him as a “charismatic community leader” whose efforts had been praised by politicians, including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and senior Metropolitan Police officials. However, no formal testimonials supporting his case were presented in court.
The Home Office countered Adegboyega’s claims, asserting that his leadership at SPAC Nation was marked by controversy. The tribunal considered allegations from former church members who accused the organization of operating like a cult, pressuring impoverished youth to take out loans, commit benefit fraud, and even sell their blood to raise money.
The tribunal judgment highlighted concerns raised by the Charity Commission and the High Court regarding SPAC Nation’s financial mismanagement. It stated, “Various manifestations of [Mr. Adegboyega’s] church have been closed down… due to concerns over its finances and lack of transparency.”
Adegboyega denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated attacks, and argued that no criminal charges had been filed against him or the church regarding its finances. He insisted that his deportation would violate his human rights.
However, the tribunal found Adegboyega’s claims to be exaggerated, describing his evidence as “hyperbolic” and noting that he had “sought to grossly inflate his influence.”
The tribunal concluded that SPAC Nation’s activities would not collapse in Adegboyega’s absence and ruled that his family and private life connections in the UK, established while living unlawfully, could be maintained from Nigeria.
The judgment stated, “Weighing all of the foregoing… the decision to refuse leave to remain was wholly proportionate. The interference would therefore be limited and lawful in all the circumstances.”
Adegboyega’s deportation marks the culmination of years of controversy surrounding his church and his immigration status in the UK.
