Bishop Oyedepo Banned From The UK Over Church Corruption

Bishop David Oyedepo, has reportedly been banned from entering Britain, following investigations into the finances of the UK arm of his church.

Bishop Oyedepo, who recently turned 60, is the e general overseer of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, aka Winners Chapel. He is believed to be Nigeria’s richest pastor and is widely regarded as one of the richest televangelists in the world.

According to SaharaReporters, a British government source confirmed the ban, saying it arose from preliminary investigations by Britain’s Charity Commission into the church.

The commission determined that "monies donated to Bishop Oyedepo’s church for charitable purposes were funneled to Nigeria to fund the preacher’s flamboyant lifestyle."

SR says this information confirms an earlier report.

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.”

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.