A Nigerian pastor whose church was closed down due to an alleged fraud involving £1.87 million has lost his battle against deportation from the United Kingdom despite claiming that it would violate his human rights.
An immigration tribunal has determined that Tobi Adegboyega, 44, should be sent back to Nigeria following investigations that unravelled the mismanagement of funds by his church.
Mr Adegboyega led SPAC Nation, a controversial church that was shut down for failing to account for over £1.87 million in expenditures adequately and lacking transparency.
He argued that deportation would infringe upon his right to a family life under the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) since he is married to a British woman. He also claimed that the Home Office’s bid to deport him did not consider his contributions to the community through SPAC.
His legal team depicted him as a “charismatic” community leader of a large, well-organised church. He claimed that he had “intervened in the lives of many hundreds of young people, predominantly from the black communities in London, to steer them away from trouble.”
He said that his efforts had been “praised” by politicians and the police, adding that without his direct involvement in London, initiatives he had developed would deteriorate or shrink.
Nevertheless, the tribunal heard that the Home Office argued “all is not as it seems.”
Former members of the church have claimed it resembles a cult, where impoverished young people are encouraged to do whatever it takes to contribute money, including taking out large loans, engaging in benefit fraud, and even selling their blood.
There are also accusations that church leaders live extravagant lifestyles, and instances of abuse have been reported. The Home Office’s position was that all these factors must be considered when assessing whether Mr Adegboyega brings value to the UK.
Mr Adegboyega has been living in the UK unlawfully since overstaying his visitor’s visa, which permitted him to enter Britain in 2005. In 2019, he sought permission to remain by invoking the ECHR right to family life. A first-tier immigration tribunal initially denied his request before he appealed.
During the tribunal, he maintained that no one has ever been prosecuted concerning his church’s finances, that many criticisms against him and SPAC Nation were politically motivated, and that the allegations of cult-like behaviour were baseless.
However, the tribunal noted that the Charity Commission found “serious misconduct and/or mismanagement in the operations of the charity over an extended period.”
The tribunal also deemed Mr Adegboyega’s testimony “hyperbolic in many respects” and determined that he had “grossly exaggerated his influence.” “It seems implausible to us that he could personally manage all of this work,” they stated.
The tribunal concluded: “We are not persuaded that the positive contributions made by SPAC Nation would collapse or even significantly decline if the Appellant is required to exit the UK.
Considering all the above, we find that the refusal of permission to remain was entirely justifiable.
