Spac Nation, a popular church known for saving young black people from the life of crime in the UK is under police investigation. This comes after several months of allegations by former worshippers who said they have been brainwashed to spend money they didn’t have by the church pastors.
SPAC Nation has at least 23 houses run by pastor Tobi across London. The church which 55 per cent of its members are young people under the age of 30 welcomes at least one thousand members on a weekly bases. The church Sunday services take place in hotel venues and conference suites across London. Majority of the members of the church are former gang members who are looking for help and a new beginning.
SPAC Nation is found and run by Nigerian pastor, Tobi Adeboyenga age 39 in Croydon. He came to Britain in 2005 and until recently was living in a £2.5 million house in Surrey. Tobi is known for his lavish lifestyle of designers wear, expensive pieces of jewellery, Rolls-Royces worth over £150,000, Lamborghini with personalised ‘Pastor’ number plates to name a few.
Former members are reporting that the church forced and intimidate them to take ban loads and raise thousands of cash to fund the church’s lavish lifestyle.
The pastors are said to urge their members to ‘beg, borrow or steal’ to meet the church’s weekly fundraising demands.
One of SPAC Nation senior leaders, Mariam Mola age 30, was once jailed for a fraud she committed when she was 18 years of age. She is also wanted for leading a crime gang in Italy. Mola whose real name is Mariam Mbula has at least 13 convictions, 34 offences, and 27 for fraud and dishonesty according to reports.
More reports claim that one of the SPAC nation pastor known as Alexander Kenlock, age 24, boasts about manipulating young girls into donating £100 a week. While former members are worried they have racked up thousands of pounds worth of debt by filling out fraudulent loan applications with the help of their pastors.
Some other young people also said they were helped by pastors to set up companies so that they could get a business bank account with generous overdraft facilities.
In another story, two mothers complained their children were pressured into handing over student loan funds after the church held events on university campuses in Birmingham and Hertfordshire.
Former members believe SPAC Nation operates in a similar way to county lines drugs gangs because the pastors gave a ‘line’ of parishioners who they are responsible for raising money.
In a leaked churches video, a pastor was seen telling his church members, they have a target of £100,000 a week and nobody should be bring in nothing less than £2,000.
Labour MP Steve Reed said the allegations he received about the church from vulnerable young people is truly disturbing and victims are saying it runs like a cult. He demands a full investigation. He also added that Scotland Yard is reviewing the complaints against the church.
The church was featured in a BBC documentary last year, after revelling that 55 per cent of their congregation are ex gang-members. The church was praised by UK police, Tory and Labour politicians for helping fight knife crime.
In the wake of the allegation, a Spac Nation spokesman according to Daily mail said: ‘We are aware that people do have financial troubles and have taken out their own personal loans. We have sought to help those who are struggling to manage their debts by way of our debt management department, which is run by our qualified financial advisers.
‘Any allegations that have been brought to leadership, has been dealt with internally. The Metropolitan police have not formally notified us of any investigation.’
Below is the notice the church posted on its Social media platforms.
The story is still developing as the church is under investigation.
