UK Court Jails Four Nigerians For Forging Over 2,000 Marriage Documents In Immigration Fraud Scheme

A UK court has sentenced four Nigerians for forging over 2,000 marriage documents, which were used to illegally secure residency in the country. The Woolwich Crown Court in London handed down sentences on Tuesday to Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade, 41, Abayomi Aderinsoye Shodipo, 38, Nosimot Mojisola Gbadamosi, 31, and Adekunle Kabir, 54.The four were members of a criminal syndicate that facilitated fraudulent applications to the EU Settlement Scheme for Nigerians between March 2019 and May 2023. They provided fake Nigerian customary marriage certificates and other falsified documents to help applicants unlawfully remain in the UK.

An investigation by the UK Home Office uncovered that the group was responsible for producing more than 2,000 fraudulent marriage documents. Onifade, from Gravesend in Kent, and Shodipo, from Manchester, were each convicted of conspiracy to facilitate illegal entry into the UK and conspiracy to provide articles used in fraud, receiving prison sentences of six and five years respectively.

Gbadamosi, from Bolton, was sentenced to six years for obtaining leave to remain by deception and fraud by false representation. Kabir, from London, received a nine-month prison sentence for possession of an identity document with improper intention, though he was acquitted of charges related to obtaining leave to remain by deception.

Commenting on the case, Home Office chief immigration officer 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.” He emphasized the commitment to securing UK borders and targeting criminal organizations that exploit people’s desperation to remain in the country.