Four Nigerian nationals have been sentenced to a combined 13 years in prison for orchestrating a large-scale fraud operation involving over 2,000 fake marriage certificates, the UK Home Office reported Tuesday.
Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade, 41, Abayomi Aderinsoye Shodipo, 38, Nosimot Mojisola Gbadamosi, 31, and Adekunle Kabir, 54, were convicted at Woolwich Crown Court for their roles in creating fraudulent EU Settlement Scheme applications for Nigerian citizens between March 2019 and May 2023.
The gang provided false Nigerian Customary Marriage Certificates and other fraudulent documentation to support applications of Nigerian nationals seeking to remain in the UK illegally under the EU Settlement Scheme.
A joint investigation by the Home Office and its international operations in Lagos, Nigeria, uncovered the extensive fraud operation, which involved more than 2,000 false marriage documents.
Onifade and Shodipo were found guilty of conspiracy to facilitate illegal entry into the UK and conspiracy to provide articles used in fraud. Gbadamosi was convicted of obtaining leave to remain by deception and fraud by false representation. Kabir was found guilty of possession of an identity document with improper intention but cleared of obtaining leave to remain by deception.
Sentences handed down by the court were: Onifade, from Gravesend, six years imprisonment; Shodipo, from Manchester, five years imprisonment; Gbadamosi, from Bolton, 18 months imprisonment; and Kabir, from London, nine months imprisonment.
Home Office chief immigration officer Paul Moran described the convictions as a significant victory against border abuse. “This group was absolutely prolific in their desire to abuse our borders and have rightly been brought to justice,” Moran stated.
He added, “We will continue to work tirelessly to secure our borders and clamp down on the gangs who prey on vulnerable people to make money.”
The case highlights ongoing challenges in UK immigration enforcement and the sophisticated methods employed by criminal networks to circumvent border controls.
