A non-governmental organisation, Centre for Social Justice Advocacy (CSJA), has reacted to the conviction of four Nigerians in the United Kingdom over a fake marriage certificate case, describing it as injustice and racism.
Four Nigerians – Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade, 41; Abayomi Aderinsoye Shodipo, 38; Nosimote Mojisola Gbadamosi, 31, and Adekunle Kabir, 54 – were convicted and sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday, reports Leadership.
He was sentenced to a total of 13 years in prison for obtaining more than 2,000 fake marriage certificates to support applications of Nigerian citizens seeking to stay in the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme.
But, CSJA, in a statement issued by its Executive Director, Gbenga Awosika, said the process that led to the sentencing of the four Nigerians was flawed and smacked of racism and injustice.
“In the last two years, we have investigated over 2,000 Nigerians living in the UK for allegedly forging marriage certificates from Nigeria and have received news of the conviction of four of them who have sadly faced prosecution.
“Our sadness stems from the fact that this trial had all the layers of racism, injustice and racial bias.
“The process that led to these decisions was marred by a number of flaws, chief among them being that the prime suspect, Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade, was denied the right to have a lawyer of his choice, and was made to use the same lawyer he got at the police station for two years even though he had applied to change his lawyer.
“The basis on which they were convicted of forging Nigerian marriage certificates is completely flawed. Firstly, it is not within the jurisdiction of the British government to determine whether a Nigerian document is forged or not, as they are not the authority that issued it. Secondly, no Nigerian government official appeared before Woolwich Crown Court to deny the authenticity of the documents.
“It is pertinent to add that an expert witness for the prosecution told the court that the certificates were genuine. Even the jury declared that two of the marriage certificates were genuine while another defendant, Mr Adekunle Kabir, was acquitted of the charge of providing forged marriage certificates. In fact, the lead investigator admitted during cross-examination that no one in Nigeria ever told him that the certificates were forged but he simply ‘suspected’ they were not authentic.
“Based on the facts available to us, the conclusion we have drawn about the court’s decision is that it was premeditated to embarrass the entire Nigerian community in the UK and to defame Nigerians as a whole as fraudsters,” the statement said.
Awosika said the civil society organisation was aware that an appeal was being lodged against the criminal conviction, and that other details about the case would emerge in time.
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