T he UK Home Office has banned flamboyant Nigerian
pastor, Bishop David Oyedepo, from entering Britain, a
British government source told SaharaReporters. Mr.
Oyedepo is known as the general overseer of the Living
Faith Church Worldwide, otherwise known as Winners
Chapel. Headquartered in Ota, Ogun State, the church
has branches in numerous parts of the world,
including the UK and US.
Bishop David Oyedepo
According to the source, the ban arose from
preliminary investigations by Britain’s Charity
Commission that determined that monies donated to
Bishop Oyedepo’s church for charitable purposes were
funneled to Nigeria to fund the preacher’s flamboyant
lifestyle.
Bishop Oyedepo owns a plush private jet and has a
fleet of expensive cars, among many other astonishing
personal assets.
Bishop Oyedepo was barred from entering the United
Kingdom in July. However, when SaharaReporters
contacted Nicola Kelly, a press officer at the
immigration desk at the UK Home Office, she declined
to comment on the case.
The same day, our reporter spoke to one Emmanuel
Igban, a media aide to Bishop Oyedepo, but he denied
that the high-flying preacher had been banned.
But our British source asserted that Bishop Oyedepo
and one of his sons had been aware of the probe of
church finances for at least three years now. He added
that the probe was triggered after the British Charity
Commission found out that the wealthy pastor had
taken out more than £16 million from the UK since
2009. He added that the commission closely monitors
any repatriation of church resources, disclosing that
any repatriation of funds of that size was most likely
illegal.
According to the source, Bishop Oyedepo claimed that
he was running a not-for-profit religious organization,
“but the commission determined that he was diverting
funds to engage in a series of profitable ventures.”
Bishop Oyedepo, who recently turned 60, is believed to
be Nigeria’s richest pastor and is widely regarded as
one of the richest televangelists in the world.
The UK government has distributed notices warning
airlines that operate flights to the UK not carry the
bishop.
Mr. Oyedepo’s private jet is also barred from entering
the UK airspace with him on board.
A few years ago, Bishop Oyedepo provoked
international outrage when videotapes of one of his
church events showed him slapping a teenage girl he
accused of being a witch. In the face of mounting
criticism, including calls for his arrest for assaulting a
minor, Mr. Oyedepo boasted that he would slap the
“witch” again.
SOURCE:
SAHARAREPORTERS
