Pastor Tobi Adegboyega, founder and senior pastor of SPAC Nation (Salvation Proclaimers Anointed Church), has lost his legal fight to remain in the UK following accusations of financial misconduct involving £1.87 million.
The immigration tribunal ruled that Adegboyega, 44, who overstayed his visitor visa in 2005 and has been living unlawfully in the UK since, must be deported to Nigeria. SPAC Nation, once praised for its outreach efforts, was shut down amid allegations of financial irregularities and a lack of transparency.
In his defense, Adegboyega argued that deportation would breach his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), citing his marriage to a British citizen and his extensive community work.
His legal team portrayed him as a transformative leader who helped steer hundreds of young people, particularly Black youth in London, away from crime. They claimed that his work had received praise from notable figures such as former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and senior Metropolitan Police officials, though no corroborating evidence from these individuals was presented in court.
The tribunal, however, sided with the Home Office, which presented a damning case. Officials highlighted allegations of financial mismanagement, cult-like practices within the church, and claims that vulnerable members were coerced into donating large sums of money through loans, benefit fraud, and even selling their blood. Reports of lavish lifestyles among the church’s leadership and allegations of abuse further undermined Adegboyega’s claims of positive contributions to the UK.
Despite Adegboyega’s insistence that the accusations were politically motivated and that neither he nor his church had faced criminal charges, the tribunal upheld the deportation order. His prior application for leave to remain in 2019, based on his family ties, had already been rejected, culminating in this decisive legal outcome.
