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.
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.

http://saharareporters.com/2014/10/16/bishop-oyedepo-banned-entering-uk-over-church-corruption

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