Top left to bottom right: Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade, 41; Adekunle Kabir, 54; Abayomi Aderinsoye Shodipo, 38; Nosimot Mojisola Gbadamosi, 31 | Picture Credit: PA
Four individuals have been sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court for forging over 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, were all sentenced on Tuesday.
The Home Office reported that the group, part of an organised criminal network, submitted fraudulent EU Settlement Scheme applications for Nigerian nationals between March 2019 and May 2023. They also provided false Nigerian Customary Marriage Certificates and other fraudulent documents to aid applicants in remaining in the UK.
An investigation by the Home Office in the UK and Lagos uncovered the group’s involvement in facilitating over 2,000 false marriage documents.
Paul Moran, Chief Immigration Officer at the Home Office, stated: “This group was prolific in their attempts to abuse our borders and have rightly been brought to justice. Their primary motive was financial gain. I am pleased that my team was able to intercept their operation, and I hope these convictions will serve as a warning to other 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 those who prey on vulnerable individuals for profit.”
Onifade, from Gravesend in Kent, and Shodipo, from Manchester, were found guilty 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 convicted of obtaining leave to remain by deception and fraud by false representation, resulting in a six-year sentence.
Kabir, from London, was found guilty of possessing an identity document with improper intention but was acquitted of obtaining leave to remain by deception. He received a nine-month sentence.