In London, a Woolwich Crown Court has found four Nigerians guilty of forging over 2,000 marriage certificates. They did this to help people stay in the United Kingdom illegally.
Paul Moran, the Chief Immigration Officer of the UK Home Office, said on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, that these criminal acts took advantage of how badly people wanted to stay in the UK.
The four people found guilty are Abraham Onifade (41), Abayomi Shodipo (38), Nosimot Gbadamosi (31), and Adekunle Kabir (54).
Details of the Case
According to Sky News, the Home Office said these people were part of a group that made fake applications for the European Union Settlement Scheme. They did this for Nigerians who wanted to stay in the UK.
The group used fake Nigerian Customary Marriage Certificates and other false documents. This way, the people could stay in the UK.
It was found out that they did all these things between March 2019 and May 2019.
Because of this, Onifade and Shodipo were found guilty of helping people enter the UK illegally and were given six and five years in jail respectively.
Gbadamosi was sentenced to six years for lying and fraud. Kabir got six months for having fake identity documents.
What the UK Government Said
Paul Moran from the UK Home Office reacted to the court’s decision. He said that the group had been very active in trying to trick the UK’s immigration system and it is good they have been punished.
“Like many gangs we see, their main goal was to make money. I’m glad my team was able to stop them, and I hope this serves as a warning to other gangs who try to use people’s desperation to stay in the UK,” he said.
“We will keep working hard to secure our borders and stop gangs who make money by exploiting vulnerable people,” he added.
Important Information You Should Know
The UK Home Office knows that many people from other countries, including Nigerians, want to live in the UK. But they must do it legally.
As of May 2024, Richard Montgomery, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, said that the number of dependents coming with Nigerian students to the UK had increased a lot. It went from about 1,500 to 52,000 between 2019 and 2022. This shows how much people want to study in the UK.