53-year-old visa applicant bags 2yrs in jail for lying to UK embassy

JUSTICE Mojisola Dada of an Ikeja Special Offences Court, Lagos Tuesday sentenced a 53 aged man, Kolawole Whesu Viyon to two years in prison for submitting a fake Jama-at-ul-Islamiyya of Nigeria Marriage Certificate to facilitate his travel visa to the United Kingdom.

Viyon was convicted on a three-count charge of making false statement and presentation of a false document brought against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The ICPC prosecuting officer, Gogodaye West said that the convict commitment the offence on December 13, 2016, at the ICPC Lagos Zonal Office.

West said that Viyon, in his extrajudicial statement volunteered under caution before Mrs Nkem Ezenwa, an investigating officer with the commission with the commission, made a false statement that Akerele(f) is his third and legally married wife.

The prosecutor said that the offence of knowingly making false statement intending to mislead was contrary to Section 25(1)(a) and punishable under Section 25(1)(b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

According to the statement of facts, the commission received an intelligence report that the convict conspired with one Olaronke Akerele (who is now at large) to submit a marriage certificate containing misleading information to facilitate their United Kingdom visa as a couple.

The commission said that further investigation on the matter revealed that the convict and Akerele were never married as purported in the Jama-at-ul-Islamiyya of the Nigeria Marriage Certificate submitted at the United Kingdom High Commission for a travel visa.

The commission also said that the convict made a statement which was untrue in any material particular when he asserted that he had personally signed the Certificate of Marriage with No-JUN/LB/0000064 which is dated 9/1/2016 at No: 109, Tokunboh Street, Lagos Island.

In her judgement, Justice Dada sentenced Viyon to two years in prison or with an option of an undisclosed fine which must be paid no longer 24 hours.