By Emmanuel Nduka
The UK government has handed a jail sentence to a four-man Nigerian gang member for forging more than 2,000 marriage certificates that allowed people to live in the UK illegally.
The group have been served a total jail term of 13 years.
According to UK’s Evening Standard, Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade, 41, Abayomi Aderinsoye Shodipo, 38, Nosimot Mojisola Gbadamosi, 31, and Adekunle Kabir, 54, made fraudulent EU Settlement Scheme applications for Nigerian nationals between March 2019 and May last year, the Home Office said.
In the organised crime, the group provided false Nigerian Customary Marriage Certificates and other fraudulent documentation to support the applications of the nationals to help them remain in the country.
A Home Office investigation both domestically and with its international operations based in Lagos, Nigeria uncovered more than 2,000 false marriage documents.
Both Onifade and Shodipo were found guilty of conspiracy to facilitate illegal entry into the UK and conspiracy to provide articles used in fraud following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court, the Home Office said.
On his part, Gbadamosi was convicted of obtaining leave to remain by deception and fraud by false representation, while Kabir was found guilty of possession of an identity document with improper intention but was cleared of obtaining leave to remain by deception.
While Onifade, from Gravesend, was sentenced to six years imprisonment, Shodipo, from Manchester, was jailed for five years at the same court on Tuesday. Gbadamosi, from Bolton, was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment while Kabir, from London, was jailed for nine months.
“This group was absolutely prolific in their desire to abuse our borders and have rightly been brought to justice,” Home Office chief immigration officer Paul Moran said.
“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,” he added.
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