By Seyi Babalola
The British government is set to deport prominent Pastor Tobi Adegboyega to Nigeria after he lost his deportation appeal at the immigration tribunals.
It should be recalled that the UK government shut down his church, SPAC Nation after investigations revealed the ministry’s financial abuses.
The church was reportedly shuttered by UK authorities after Adegboyega failed to properly account for more than £1.87 million in outgoings and operated without transparency.
However, according to The Telegraph, an immigration tribunal concluded that he should be deported to Nigeria following investigations.
Adegboyega has been living unlawfully in the UK since 2005 when he arrived on a visitor’s visa.
In 2019, the pastor sought leave to remain under the ECHR’s right to family life.
A first-tier immigration tribunal first denied his application, but he appealed.
The pastor, who is married to a British lady, said that deportation would violate his right to a family life under the European Convention on Human Rights and failed to take into account his community work with SPAC.
His defence team portrayed him as a ‘charismatic’ community leader of a huge, well-organized church who had ‘intervened in the lives of many hundreds of young people, mostly from the Black communities in London, to guide them away from danger.’
Politicians, including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and top members of the Metropolitan Police had ‘lauded’ his efforts, he said, but no testimony from them was presented to the court.
However, the Home Office contended, ‘All is not as it seems,’ and dragged him before an immigration tribunal.
However, according to the judgment as quoted by The Telegraph, the tribunal said evidence against the Nigerian pastor was taken into consideration.
It reads, “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.
“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 lead 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.”
Speaking at the tribunal, Adegboyega stated that charges that his church was a cult were false and that attacks on him and the church were politically motivated.
He also claimed that no one had ever faced criminal charges for his church’s finances and that his deportation would violate his human rights.
However, the tribunal was informed that the Charity Commission determined ‘there had been severe wrongdoing and/or mismanagement in the administration of the charity that was perpetuated over a long period’.
The tribunal also found Adegboyega’s evidence to be “hyperbolic in many instances’ and had ‘sought to grossly inflate his influence.”
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.
“Mr Adegboyega seeks to rely on family and private life relationships, all of which have been established whilst he was in the UK unlawfully, and which would survive his return to Nigeria.
“The interference would therefore be limited, and lawful in all the circumstances.”
