Dele Olawanle, lawyer to SPAC Nation founder Pastor Tobi Adegboyega, has said that contrary to media reports the cleric is not facing deportation from the United Kingdom.
The UK Telegraph earlier reported that a UK immigration tribunal ruled that the 44-year-old should be deported to his native Nigeria.
Adegboyega has lived in the UK unlawfully since overstaying on a visitor’s visa that allowed him to enter Britain in 2005.
He claimed deportation would breach his right to a family life; having married a British woman. He also said the attempt to remove him by the Home Office failed to take account of his community work with SPAC.
The tribunal however found Adegboyega’s evidence to be “hyperbolic in many instances” and had “sought to grossly inflate his influence.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Olawanle said deportation applies only to criminals, adding that Adegboyega has neither a criminal record nor conviction.
He said, “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 laws 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 wrongdoings.
“Tobi has lived in the UK for at least 20 years without a criminal conviction. He has contributed significantly to the British community. 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.”