Evangelist Timothy Omotoso deported from South Africa

 

Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso has been deported from South Africa and banned from returning to the country for the next five years

He departed South Africa via OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday, May 18, 2025, aboard a flight to Lagos, Nigeria.

Omotoso, founder of Jesus Dominion International in Durban, was recently acquitted of 32 charges, including rape, human trafficking, and racketeering, after nearly eight years in custody. Despite his acquittal, South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs declared him an “undesirable person,” citing immigration violations, and initiated his deportation.The move came after a court found that the department had not followed proper legal procedures during Omotoso’s re-arrest on immigration-related grounds. As a result, the government opted for a voluntary deportation process rather than continued detention.

The political party ActionSA welcomed the deportation, calling it long overdue. In a statement, the party urged authorities to make the ban permanent, insisting that Omotoso had shown disregard for South African laws and should never be allowed to return.

Omotoso’s original arrest in 2017 sparked widespread media attention, with several women—some as young as 14 at the time—accusing him of abuse. The trial was marred by delays, multiple judge recusals, and legal complications. On April 2, 2025, Judge Irma Schoeman ruled in his favor, stating that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

While Omotoso is now back in Nigeria, his legal team had previously indicated plans to challenge the immigration-related arrest, suggesting that further legal proceedings could still unfold.