Pastor Tobi Adegboyega, the founder of the church group known as SPAC Nation, is to be deported to Nigeria after living in the UK illegally for almost 20 years.
SPAC Nation, a South London-based evangelical Pentecostal Christian organisation, rose to prominence in 2017. Services were often held in high-end locations, such as the Grand Sapphire Hotel. Its theological emphasis was on so-called "prosperity theology”, also known as "the prosperity gospel": teachings based on the belief that financial blessings are a fruit of faith in God.
Members of SPAC Nation, and especially Pastor Tobi, were seen wearing designer clothing, arriving in expensive cars, while being touted as having founded successful businesses through their involvement with the group.
Initially, SPAC Nation received praise for its positive impact on young people affected by crime. Gang-affiliated young people were encouraged to drop their weapons before the altar during church services, and the organisation was noted for creating “safe houses”, where young people in danger could find refuge.
In 2018, Hope Dealers, a rap group affiliated with the church group and often credited with pioneering the music genre known as “gospel drill”, featured on the popular <em>BBC</em> radio programme <em>Fire in the Booth</em>. They also released the song "Trap Mash", a rap song with a Christian message. The video has over 2.5 million views on <em>YouTube</em>.
During the same year, the documentary <em>Gangs, Drill & Prayer</em> was released by the <em>BBC</em>, highlighting the church group's mission and rise to success.
The group also received public support from both the Conservative and Labour parties. Former Conservative MP for Croydon Central, Gavin Barwell, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GavinBarwellOfficial/posts/1378985062147065?ref=embed_post"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">described</mark></a> the “honour” of speaking at one of the group's church services and said it was “amazing to see how they've changed the lives of so many young people in Croydon”.
However, by late 2019, the group was being investigated by London’s Metropolitan Police over allegations of fraud. SPAC Nation also stood accused of acting like a cult and pressuring its young members to take out loans and commit benefit fraud to donate to the group.
In some of the more shocking <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/dec/13/uk-charity-watchdog-investigates-evangelical-church-spac-nation"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">allegations</mark></a>, former members claimed they had been pressured into donating blood for money and then turning those proceeds over to the group. Adegboyega is <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/spac-nation-sell-blood-for-money_uk_5def9bb8e4b07f6835b958f5"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">quoted</mark></a> as saying: “I don’t care what you guys have to do to raise your seed – you’re going to raise it.”
Amid increasing public scrutiny, the group rebranded itself in 2020 as “The NXTION Family”, and Pastor Tobi Adegboyega stepped down as senior pastor. However, he still remained central to the group’s governance and leadership, with much of its narrative continuing to be centred around his teachings.
While the occasional use of Biblical verse is embraced to justify the group's particular teachings, its general approach is notably light on traditional Christian theology. Adegboyega, affectionately referred to by members as “PT”, is seen as the inspired voice giving meaning and value to adherents' lives.
Adegboyega initially came to the UK from Nigeria on a visitor's visa in 2005, when he shared a room with his cousin John Boyega, who went on to become a well-known <em>Star Wars</em> actor.
Since then, he has sought to regularise his status multiple times, culminating in a final appeal this November 2024. The 44-year-old argued that his deportation would interfere disproportionately with his family life – and with his British partner – and with his work life, which he argued included his significant community work as a pastor leading SPAC Nation/The NXTION Family.
However, the tribunal <a href="https://tribunalsdecisions.service.gov.uk/utiac/hu-03684-2020"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">found</mark></a> that the work of his group would likely continue without his physical presence and noted evidence of financial mismanagement under his leadership. The tribunal also highlighted that his relationship with his partner and his contributions to society were formed while he was unlawfully in the UK, limiting their validity as counter pleas.
The tribunal concluded that the controversial pastor should be deported to his native Nigeria.
Adegboyega´s <em>Instagram</em> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DDUUkYAN33G/?hl=en"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">account</mark></a> remains active, with over half a million followers, and it appears that he led the Sunday service for "The NXTION Family” on 8 December.
<em>Photo: Pastor Tobi Adegboyega of SPAC NATION arrives backstage at the WizKid's Made In Lagos Tour at the O2 Arena in London, England, 29 November 2021. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images for Revolt.)</em>
