By Samuel Abulude

A non-governmental organisation, the Centre for Social Justice Advocacy (CSJA) has reacted to the conviction of four Nigerians in the United Kingdom over fake marriage certificates, describing it as injustice and racism.

LEADERSHIP reports that four Nigerians – Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade, 41; Abayomi Aderinsoye Shodipo, 38; Nosimot Mojisola Gbadamosi, 31, and 54-year-old Adekunle Kabir – were all convicted and sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday.

They were sentenced to a total of 13 years in prison after being convicted of procuring over 2,000 fake marriage certificates to support the applications of Nigerian citizens seeking to remain in the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme.

But, CSJA in a statement released by its Executive Director, Gbenga Awosika, said the process that led to the sentences of the four Nigerians was flawed and smacked of racism and injustice.

“In the last two years, we followed the investigation of over 2,000 Nigerians living in the UK for 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 all the 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, Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade was denied his right to a lawyer of his choice, and 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 those guys forged Nigerian marriage certificates is totally flawed. Firstly it’s not in the place of British government to determine whether a Nigerian document is forged since they are not the issuing authority. Secondly, 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,” the statement read.

Awosika added that the civil society organisation was aware that the criminal convictions were being appealed, noting that other things pertaining to the case would be unfolded as time goes.