Four Nigerians Sentenced for Forging Over 2,000 Marriage Certificates in UK

 

A Nigerian gang member has been sentenced to a total of 13 years in prison for his involvement in forging more than 2,000 marriage certificates that allowed people to live illegally in the UK.

According to reports from the UK-based Evening Standard, four individuals, Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade, 41, Abayomi Aderinsoye Shodipo, 38, Nosimot Mojisola Gbadamosi, 31, and Adekunle Kabir, 54, were involved in the crime.

They made fraudulent EU Settlement Scheme applications for Nigerian nationals between March 2019 and May last year, according to the Home Office.

The organized crime group was found to have provided false Nigerian Customary Marriage Certificates along with other fraudulent documentation to support these applications, assisting Nigerian nationals in remaining in the UK unlawfully.

A Home Office investigation, which included both domestic efforts and operations based in Lagos, Nigeria, uncovered the massive scale of the operation, with over 2,000 false marriage documents identified.

Following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court, Onifade and Shodipo were found guilty of conspiracy to facilitate illegal entry into the UK and conspiracy to provide articles used in fraud.

Gbadamosi was convicted of obtaining leave to remain by deception and fraud by false representation, while Kabir was found guilty of possession of an identity document with improper intention but was cleared of obtaining leave to remain by deception.

Onifade, from Gravesend, was sentenced to six years imprisonment, and Shodipo, from Manchester, received a five-year sentence. Gbadamosi, from Bolton, was sentenced to 18 months, while Kabir, from London, was jailed for nine months.

Paul Moran, Home Office Chief Immigration Officer, stated, “This group was absolutely prolific in their desire to abuse our borders and have rightly been brought to justice. As with many gangs we encounter, their sole priority was financial gain. I am delighted that my team was able to intercept their operation, and I hope these convictions will serve as a warning to unscrupulous gangs who exploit people’s desperation to remain in the UK. We will continue to work tirelessly to secure our borders and clamp down on the gangs who prey on vulnerable people to make money.”