FOUR Nigerians have been jailed for helping people live in the United Kingdom (UK) after being convicted of forging over 2,000 marriage certificates.

On Tuesday, August 27, the convicts, identified as Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade, 41, Abayomi Aderinsoye Shodipo, 38, Nosimot Mojisola Gbadamosi, 31, and Adekunle Kabir, 54, were all sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court in London.

According to the UK home office, the four convicts were members of a criminal group involved in carrying out fraudulent EU Settlement Scheme applications for Nigerian nationals.

Between March 2019 and May 2023, they were caught with several criminal operations including, providing fake Nigerian customary marriage certificates among other fraudulent documentation to help people illegally remain in the UK.

In an investigation conducted by the Home Office in the UK and Lagos State, over 2,000 fake marriage documents were linked to the four convicted Nigerians.

The chief immigration officer at the Home Office, Paul Moran, expressed excitement at being able to intercept their operation and bring them to justice, adding that it would serve as a warning to others involved in similar activities.

“This group was absolutely prolific in their desire to abuse our borders and have rightly been brought to justice.

“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 said.

Having been found guilty of conspiring to aid illegal entry into the UK and provide documents used in fraud, Onifade, a resident of Gravesend, Kent, and Shodipo, living at Manchester, were sentenced to six and five years, respectively.

Gbadamosi, a resident of Bolton, was sentenced to six years after being found guilty of using fraud and deception to get permission to remain in the UK.

Meanwhile, Kabir, a London resident, was found guilty of possessing an identification document with illegal intent and he bagged a nine-month prison sentence.