Tobi Adegboyega, the former leader of SPAC Nation church, has lost his appeal against deportation from the United Kingdom amid allegations of financial misconduct involving £1.87 million.
The UK immigration tribunal ruled that Adegboyega, 44, should return to Nigeria, rejecting his claim that deportation would breach his right to family life under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Adegboyega, who is married to a British citizen, had argued that his removal would disrupt his family life and community initiatives.
Adegboyega, a cousin of actor John Boyega, was the head of SPAC Nation, a church shut down following investigations into financial mismanagement and lack of transparency.
Former members alleged the church operated as a cult, pressuring young followers to take out loans, commit benefit fraud, and sell their blood to fund donations.
The tribunal heard claims from Adegboyega’s legal team that he played a vital role in helping at-risk youth in London and that his work had been acknowledged by figures such as former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and senior Metropolitan Police officials. However, no evidence of such endorsements was submitted.
The Home Office presented findings from the Charity Commission and the High Court, which cited serious mismanagement within SPAC Nation and concerns about the church’s finances. The tribunal dismissed Adegboyega’s claims as exaggerated, describing his testimony as “hyperbolic.”
Adegboyega, who entered the UK on a visitor visa in 2005 and overstayed, had applied for leave to remain in 2019 under ECHR provisions. The tribunal ruled that his family and private life relationships, established while living unlawfully, could continue in Nigeria.
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.”