Four Nigerians have been jailed for forging more than 2,000 marriage certificates to help people live in the UK illegally.
Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade, 41, Abayomi Aderinsoye Shodipo, 38, Nosimot Mojisola Gbadamosi, 31, and Adekunle Kabir, 54, were all sentenced on Tuesday at Woolwich Crown Court in London.
The Home Office said the four were part of an organized crime ring making fraudulent applications under the EU settlement scheme for Nigerian nationals.
They carried out this undertaking between March 2019 and May last year, and were also found to have provided fake Customary Nigerian Marriage Certificates and other fraudulent documents to help applicants stay in the country.
Findings by the Home Office in the United Kingdom and Lagos revealed that more than 2,000 fake marriage documents were facilitated by the group, who were themselves Nigerians.
Home Office immigration chief Paul Moran said: “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.”
Onifade, from Gravesend in Kent, and Shodipo, from Manchester, were both convicted of conspiracy to facilitate illegal entry into the UK and conspiracy to provide materials used in fraud and were jailed for six years and five years respectively.
Gbadamosi, from Bolton, was convicted of obtaining leave to remain by deception and fraud by false representation and sentenced to six years.
Kabir, from London, was convicted of possession of an identity document with improper intention but was cleared of obtaining leave to remain by deception. He bagged nine months jail term.
Source: Sky News
