Four Nigerians jailed in UK for forging over 2,000 marriage documents

Four Nigerians have been jailed after forging more than 2,000 marriage certificates to help people stay illegally in the UK.

Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade, 41, Abayomi Aderinsoye Shodipo, 38, Nosimot Mojisola Gbadamosi, 31, and Adekunle Kabir, 54, were all sentenced at London’s Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday.

According to the Home Office, the four were part of an organised crime group that submitted fraudulent EU Settlement Scheme applications for Nigerian nationals between 2019 and 2023. They were all sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday.

They operated the enterprise between March 2019 and May last year and were also found to have provided fake Nigerian marriage certificates and other fraudulent documentation to help applicants remain in the country.

Investigations by the British Home Office and Lagos State found that the group, which was Nigerian itself, distributed more than 2,000 false marriage documents.

Paul Moran, head of immigration at the Home Office, said: “This group was absolutely prolific in their desire to violate our borders and has rightly been brought to justice.

“Like many of the gangs we come across, their only priority was financial gain. I am delighted that my team were able to disrupt their operation and I hope these convictions will serve as a warning to unscrupulous gangs who prey on people’s desperation to remain in the UK.

“We will continue to work tirelessly to secure our borders and tackle the gangs that exploit vulnerable people for profit.”

Onifade, from Gravesend in Kent, and Shodipo, from Manchester, were both found guilty of conspiracy to facilitate unlawful entry into the UK and conspiracy to supply items for fraud. They were jailed for six and five years respectively.

Gbadamosi, from Bolton, was convicted of obtaining a residence permit by deception and fraud by false representation and was sentenced to six years in prison.

Kabir, from London, was found guilty of possessing an identity document with improper intent, but was acquitted of obtaining a residence permit by deception. He was sentenced to nine months in prison.