A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), under the aegis of the Centre for Social Justice Advocacy (CSJA), has decried the conviction of four Nigerian citizens for fake marriage certificates to enable them to live in the UK illegally.
It would be recalled that Abraham Onifade, 41; Abayomi Aderinsoye Shodipo, 38; Nosimot Gbadamosi, 31, and Adekunle Kabir, 54, were last month, all convicted and sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court.
They were sentenced to a total of 13 years in prison after being convicted of involvement in over 2,000 fake marriage certificates to support the applications of Nigerian citizens seeking to remain in the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme.
CSJA flayed this development in a statement released by its Executive Director, Gbenga Awosika, copy of which was made available to newsmen in Lagos, saying that the process that led to the conviction of the Nigerian citizens were flawed and smacked of racism and injustice.
The group, while condemning the sentencing of the four Nigerians, expressed sadness over “the judgments, chiefs among them was the fact that the prime suspect, Onifade was denied his right to a lawyer of his choice.”
According to CSJA, Onifade was made to use the same lawyer he met at the police station for two years despite his application to change him, declaring pointedly that “the grounds of conviction that they forged Nigerian marriage certificates is totally flawed.
“In the last two years, we followed the investigation of over 2000 Nigerians living in the UK on allegation of forging marriage certificates from Nigeria and received the news of the convictions of four of them who have faced prosecution with sadness.
“Our sadness arose from the fact that the trial had allegedly trappings of racism, injustice and racial prejudice.
“There are several gaps in the process that led to the judgments, chiefs among them was the fact that the prime suspect, Onifade was denied his right to a lawyer of his choice.
“He was made to use the same lawyer he met at the police station for two years despite his application to change his counsel.
“The grounds of conviction that they forged Nigerian marriage certificates is totally flawed.
“At first instance, it’s not in the place of British government to determine whether a Nigerian document is forged since they are not the issuing authority.
“At the same time, no Nigerian government official appeared before the Woolwich Crown Court to deny the authenticity of the documents.
“It is pertinent to add that an expert witness for the prosecutor told the court that the certificates are genuine.
“Even the jury declared that two of the marriage Certificates were real, while another defendant, Mr Adekunle Kabir, was cleared of the charge of providing forged marriage certificates.
“In fact the chief investigator admitted under cross-examination that no one in Nigeria ever told him the certificates were forged but he just had ‘suspicion’ that they are not authentic.
“From the facts available to us, what we made of the court’s decision is that it was predetermined to embarrass the entire Nigerian community in the UK and tar the entire Nigerians with the brush of forgers.”
Speaking further, CSJA Executive Director, Awosika, said the civil society organisation was aware that the criminal convictions were being appealed, adding that many things pertaining to the issue would be unfolded as time goes on.
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