A Woolwich Crown Court in London has jailed Four Nigerians guilty of fabricating more than 2,000 marriage certificates to illegitimately assist those who were in dire need of staying in the country.
After the court’s decision on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, UK Home Office Chief Immigration Officer Paul Moran characterised the development as an abuse of people’s desperation.
The ruling was made against Adekunle Kabir (54), Nosimot Gbadamosi (31), Abayomi Shodipo (38), and Abraham Onifade (41).
The Home Office claimed that the defendants were part of an organised criminal ring that fraudulently applied for Nigerians to be included in the European Union Settlement Scheme, as Sky News reported.
To help applicants stay in the nation, the defendants used false Nigerian customary marriage certificates and other fraudulent papers to carry out this scheme.
According to investigations, they operated this business from March to May, 2019.
The court found Onifade and Shodipo guilty of conspiring to furnish articles used in fraud while facilitating illegal entrance into the UK after the UK prosecution concluded its case. They received prison terms of six and five years, respectively.
Gbadamosi from Bolton received a six-year prison sentence for deceit and fraud by false representation, while Kabir from London bagged a six-month sentence for having an identification paper with the intent to deceive.
In response to the conviction, the Chief Immigration Officer at the Home Office, Paul Moran, , stated that the organisation was extremely widespread in its intent to misuse UK borders and that they have been duly prosecuted.
“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 evil 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,” he assured.
Although it demands lawful admission, the UK Home Office recognizes that foreign nationals, especially Nigerians, are moving to live in its country.
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, had revealed in May 2024 that between 2019 and 2022, the number of dependents studying with Nigerian students in the UK increased from about 1,500 to 52,000 which he attributed to the rise in interest in British education.