A Nigerian pastor who led a controversial London church has lost his deportation appeal despite claiming human rights protections, following allegations of £1.87 million ($2.37 million) in mishandled church funds.
Tobi Adegboyega, 44, cousin of Star Wars actor John Boyega, failed to convince an immigration tribunal that his deportation would violate his right to family life under the European Convention of Human Rights. The pastor has lived in the UK unlawfully since overstaying a visitor’s visa in 2005.
The case centered on Adegboyega’s leadership of SPAC Nation, a church shut down by authorities for failing to account for £1.87 million in expenditures and operating without transparency. The Charity Commission found “serious misconduct and/or mismanagement” sustained over a substantial period.
Former church members alleged the organization operated as a cult, reportedly pressuring impoverished young people to donate money through extreme measures, including taking out loans, committing benefit fraud, and selling blood. Leadership allegedly maintained lavish lifestyles amid claims of abuse.
Adegboyega’s legal team portrayed him as a “charismatic” community leader who had “intervened in the lives of many hundreds of young people, predominantly from the black communities in London.” They claimed his work had been “lauded” by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Metropolitan Police officials, though no supporting testimony was provided.
The tribunal found Adegboyega’s evidence “hyperbolic” and determined he had “sought to grossly inflate his influence.” Rejecting his appeal, the court concluded that SPAC Nation’s work would not “collapse or even significantly suffer” in his absence, noting his relationships “would survive his return to Nigeria.”
