Nigerian pastor Tobi Adegboyega has dismissed allegations that he is facing deportation from the United Kingdom over an alleged £1.87 million fraud tied to his church, SPAC Nation.
The pastor labelled the accusations as baseless and claimed they were being propagated by disgruntled members of his congregation.
Speaking during an interview with the BBC on Friday, Adegboyega stated unequivocally, “There is no deportation order. Let me make that clear.”
The UK Charity Commission recently concluded an investigation into SPAC Nation, accusing the church of serious misconduct and mismanagement. Following the investigation, an immigration tribunal reportedly ruled that Adegboyega should be deported to Nigeria.
However, Adegboyega denied any wrongdoing, saying, “These allegations are false. They have been on this thing for the past four years. If you have 1,000 people in a place, are you telling me 30 people will not be disgruntled? How on earth do you run an organisation without disgruntled people?”
He described the fraud accusations as stemming from individuals with personal grievances against the church.
Adegboyega defended his church’s contributions to the community, highlighting its efforts to combat youth violence in the UK.
“Our church has helped get hundreds of knives off the streets and tackled gun violence. We believe in a practical approach to help a community – young people coming out of low socio-economic backgrounds, taking them out of crime,” he said.
When asked about his lavish lifestyle, which has often been criticized, Adegboyega explained that his use of luxury items is intentional and aimed at connecting with younger generations.
“I put on what is right, what connects to the generation I’m speaking to, so they are not attracted to drug dealers,” he said.
Adegboyega admitted to overstaying his visa after arriving in the UK in 2005 on a visitor’s visa. He claimed that his failure to regularise his immigration status stemmed from assumptions that his family was handling the paperwork.
“I lost track of time,” he said, referring to the nearly decade-long delay in applying for legal residency.