UK jails four Africans for faking 2,000 marriage documents

Four Nigerian nationals have been sentenced to prison in the UK after being found guilty of forging more than 2,000 marriage certificates to facilitate illegal immigration.

The individuals, identified as Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade (41), Abayomi Aderinsoye Shodipo (38), Nosimot Mojisola Gbadamosi (31), and Adekunle Kabir (54), were sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court in London on Tuesday.

The UK Home Office has revealed that the group was part of an organized crime network that facilitated fraudulent applications for the EU Settlement Scheme for over two years—from March 2019 to May 2023.

They targeted Nigerian nationals, providing them with fake Nigerian customary marriage certificates and other forged documents to help individuals enter the UK illegally.

Onifade, from Gravesend in Kent, and Shodipo, from Manchester, were both found guilty of conspiracy to facilitate unlawful entry into the UK and conspiracy to provide false documents. Onifade was sentenced to six years in prison, while Shodipo was sentenced to five years.

Gbadamosi, from Bolton, was convicted of deception and fraud by false representation and sentenced to six years in prison. Kabir, from London, was sentenced to nine months in jail after being convicted of possessing an identity document with unlawful intent; he was acquitted of charges relating to obtaining a residence permit by deception.

Paul Moran, the Home Office’s head of immigration, said: “We will continue to work tirelessly to protect our borders and dismantle criminal groups who exploit vulnerable people for profit.”