A Canadian federal court has dismissed the appeal of Nigerian Pastor, Lucky Bidemi Olorunfemi, whose asylum claim was rejected after authorities found evidence of fraud and bribery in his supporting documents – a development that ultimately led to his deportation.
Justice McHaffie of the Federal Court in Toronto delivered the ruling on October 16, upholding the earlier decision of the Refugee Protection Division (RPD), which found that Mr. Olorunfemi’s documents were falsified and lacked credibility.
Mr. Olorunfemi, who claimed to be a Pastor in Akure, Ondo State, applied for refugee status in 2023, alleging that his pro-LGBTQ sermons angered “Muslim Jihadists” who allegedly threatened his life.
He claimed his church was set on fire in March 2022, forcing him into hiding before he fled to Canada.
To support his story, the Pastor submitted four documents:
• a newspaper report detailing the alleged attack,
• a Nigerian police invitation letter from April 2022,
• his wife’s medical report from June 2024, and
• a wanted poster purportedly issued by the “Odoua [sic] Peoples Congress.”
However, the RPD identified numerous irregularities and spelling errors, describing the materials as examples of “brown envelope journalism” — a term used for fabricated or paid media reports.
The court found that the documents’ language mirrored Olorunfemi’s own claims and contained inconsistencies that made them unreliable.
Justice McHaffie noted that even the wanted poster featured multiple misspellings, such as “Odoua” instead of “Oodua” and “youruba” instead of “Yoruba,” and identified Olorunfemi under a different name. It also lacked contact information, which further undermined its authenticity.
The court also highlighted contradictions in Olorunfemi’s testimony, including his claim of limited English skills despite responding to legal counsel in “fluent English.”
Justice McHaffie ruled that the only verifiable fact in Olorunfemi’s case was his Nigerian nationality, established through his passport and testimony.
He criticized the pastor for accusing the RPD of failing to verify his documents, stating that it was his responsibility to provide authentic materials with verifiable contact details.
Concluding the case, the judge stated: “The application for judicial review is dismissed.”
Olorunfemi was subsequently deported from Canada following the ruling.
@Nigerian Canadian Newspaper Canada, https://nigeriancanadiannews.ca
