Four individuals have been sentenced to prison for their involvement in forging more than 2,000 marriage certificates to facilitate illegal residency in the UK.

Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade, 41, Abayomi Aderinsoye Shodipo, 38, Nosimot Mojisola Gbadamosi, 31, and Adekunle Kabir, 54, received their sentences at Woolwich Crown Court in London on Tuesday.

According to the Home Office, the group was part of an organized criminal network that submitted fraudulent applications under the EU Settlement Scheme for Nigerian nationals. Their activities spanned from March 2019 to May 2023 and included providing counterfeit Nigerian Customary Marriage Certificates and other fraudulent documents to aid individuals in remaining in the country.

An investigation by the Home Office, in collaboration with authorities in Lagos, uncovered that the group had facilitated the creation of over 2,000 fake marriage documents.

Paul Moran, Chief Immigration Officer at the Home Office, 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.”

Onifade, from Gravesend, Kent, and Shodipo, from Manchester, were convicted of conspiracy to facilitate illegal entry into the UK and conspiracy to provide articles used in fraud, receiving sentences of six years and five years, respectively.

Gbadamosi, from Bolton, was found guilty of obtaining leave to remain by deception and fraud by false representation, resulting in a six-year sentence.

Kabir, from London, was convicted of possession of an identity document with improper intention but was acquitted of obtaining leave to remain by deception, receiving a sentence of nine months.

Source: myjoyonline