Mr Dele Olawanle, the lawyer representing the United Kingdom-based Nigerian pastor, Tobi Adegboyega, has dismissed claims that the British Government plans to deport the cleric to Nigeria over allegations of mismanaging £1.87m in church funds.
A TheNigerian Online report on Wednesday outlined how the UK government shut down SPAC Nation, the church led by Adegboyega, following investigations that revealed financial mismanagement.
The UK authorities shut down the church after Adegboyega was accused of failing to account for over £1.87m in expenses and operating without transparency.
A British newspaper, The Telegraph, also reported that an immigration tribunal ruled that Adegboyega should be deported to Nigeria upon the conclusion of the investigations.
According to The Telegraph, as reported by TheNigerian Online on Wednesday, the tribunal stated, “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 blood.
“It is alleged that the church leadership led 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.”
In a statement titled, “Statement by Tobi Adegboyega’s Lawyer”, shared via his X.com handle on Wednesday, Olawanle dismissed the publication’s claims. He described the newspaper as “ignorant” and clarified that the embattled pastor was not facing deportation.
Olawanle stated, “People with calls and text messages have inundated me since last night. I could not stop laughing when I read that Tobi Adegboyega faces deportation from the United Kingdom.
“The newspaper that carried the news was ignorant. I have acted for him as a lawyer on a personal basis and for the ministry. He is not facing deportation from the UK. That is elementary immigration law for journalists. Deportation is for criminals. He is not.
“Even though the courts and the charity commission had issues with SPAC NATIONS, he was not personally found guilty of any wrongdoing. Adegboyega has lived in the UK for at least 20 years without a criminal conviction.”
He has contributed significantly to the British community.”
He emphasised that Adegboyega had overcome numerous challenges and remains a winner, criticising those, including other clerics, who comment on the matter as ignorant and often speaking without factual basis.
“He has faced many challenges, but he is a winner. Many of his adversaries are from the African community. Sensationalism is an act of idiocy. It is not worth the paper it was written on.
“I read some comments this morning and wondered why people are so quick to make ignorant comments without facts.
“I wondered why there is joy in seeing people go down, including so-called pastors. Society has a big problem, as we cannot handle people who are different and want them to go down,” Olawande added.
TheNigerian Online reported on Wednesday that politicians, including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and senior figures within the Metropolitan Police had ‘lauded’ Adegboyega’s work.
