According to Saharareporters ''The 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.
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.
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