SPAC Nation: Police notified as leaders of ‘cult church’ face ban for safeguarding and financial misconduct

The Met Police have been informed that leaders of a scandal-ridden church have been disqualified from being charity trustees following grave financial and safeguarding misconduct, The Independent understands.

SPAC Nation church trustees were responsible for a string of failures including inappropriately-run “safe houses” for vulnerable Black people and the majority of the charity’s income not going through a bank account, according to a Charity Commission inquiry report published on Thursday.

Incorporated in 2012, the Christian charity held religious services at venues in London and organised community and outreach events.

The commission has disqualified Ebo Dougan from being a charity trustee for 10 years, while Krystle Sarkodie, Mabinty Sesay and Adedapo Adegboyega - brother of church leader Tobi Adeboyega - for 12 years.

Adedapo is accused of previously conning a congregation member at the London branch of World Evangelism Bible Church (WEBIC) into taking out a £100,000 mortgage loan to buy a building that never materialised, before moving to SPAC Nation.

He denied any wrongdoing.

Amy Spiller, Head of Investigations at the Charity Commission, said: “The community placed its trust in this charity and its leaders and was sadly let down by repeated serious failings in its financial and safeguarding practices.

“Safeguarding should be a priority for all charities, and the trustees should have considered doing more to strengthen its safeguarding practices.

“Operating in cash also exposed the charity to risks such as loss, theft and the cash being used outside of the charity’s purposes.

“Our intervention prevents three current trustees and one former trustee from holding trustee or senior roles in other charities and so helps to protect the wider sector.”

The church, once hailed by UK politicians as a beacon of hope for ex-gang members, was hit by allegations of financial exploitation, such as pressuring congregation members to take out loans, and safeguarding abuses of its members - which it denies.

Much of its so-called charitable work was based in London, working particularly with vulnerable people, youth, and offenders.

However, many people, including Secretary of State Steve Reed MP, have described SPAC Nation as a “cult” .

After these claims about the church came to light the Metropolitan Police and Charity Commission launched investigations into its activities in March 2020 and December 2019, respectively.

The police investigation is still ongoing and the force has been approached for comment.

Further to this, the commission’s inquiry found that trustees “failed to act with reasonable care and skill” and repeatedly failed to address the commission’s regulatory concerns.

It was also revealed that the charity’s safeguarding practices were inadequate, given that so-called safe houses called “Trap Houses” associated with the charity were also the homes of church leaders.

The nature of the relationship between the charity and the houses was unclear, according to the commission.

The commission’s inquiry report comes after SPAC Nation was closed by the High Court in 2022 after failing to properly account for more than £1.87 million of outgoings and operating with a lack of transparency .

Though an organisation can be forced to close and cease to exist under that name on the Companies House and Charity Commission registers, companies can appear under different names and this has previously been known to happen.

A company that’s linked to the organisation, registered as SPAC NATION LTD on companies house, was incorporated in May 2019 and remains active .

A telephone for SPAC Nation, which is now called Nation Family, rang out when the Independent called for comment. Messages were left with a social media account associated with the church.

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing at SPAC Nation Ltd.