Pastor Olorunfemi Deported by Canada over Fraudulent Asylum Claims

Canadian authorities have deported Pastor Lucky Bidemi Olorunfemi, a Nigerian national from Ondo State, following a federal court ruling that dismissed his refugee claim on grounds of document fraud and lack of credibility. The ruling, delivered on October 16 by Justice McHaffie at the Federal Court in Toronto, upheld a decision by the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) which found that Pastor Olorunfemi’s evidence was fabricated and unreliable.

Pastor Olorunfemi had sought asylum in 2023, alleging persecution by so-called “Muslim Jihadis” due to his pro-LGBTQ stance and tolerance towards gay members in his church congregation in Akure, Ondo State. He claimed his church was set ablaze in March 2022, forcing him into hiding for nearly a year before fleeing to Canada.

To support his asylum claim, he submitted four critical documents: a newspaper report about the attack, a police invitation letter, a medical report for his wife following an alleged assault in 2024, and a wanted poster purportedly issued by the “Odoua Peoples Congress.” However, the RPD identified glaring irregularities in each document. The newspaper article was riddled with spelling and grammatical mistakes and closely mirrored Olorunfemi’s narrative, suggesting it was fabricated “brown envelope journalism.” The police letter and medical report lacked verifiable contact information, while the wanted poster contained multiple misspellings—including “Odoua” instead of “Oodua” and “youruba” instead of “Yoruba”—and listed a different name entirely with no contact details.

Justice McHaffie criticized the pastor for inconsistent testimony, especially highlighting the contradiction between his claimed limited English proficiency and his fluent courtroom responses. The judge supported the RPD’s conclusion that the pastor’s entire asylum case was built on unverified and fraudulent documents.

“The applicant’s evidence was inconsistent, unreliable, and materially fraudulent,” Justice McHaffie stated, dismissing the judicial review and affirming the prior refugee panel’s decision. Subsequently, Mr. Olorunfemi was deported back to Nigeria.

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The case has spotlighted concerns over fraudulent asylum claims in Canada, particularly involving forged documentation and orchestrated media reports by applicants. The pastor was legally represented by Abdul-Rahman Kadiri, who has declined to comment on any future legal steps.

This incident raises important discussions about the integrity of international asylum processes and the reputational effects on countries like Nigeria when citizens attempt to manipulate such systems through deceitful means.