A United Kingdom-based Nigerian, Emmanuel Opeyemi Makinde, has told Justice Ademuyiwa Oyeyipo of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court sitting in Jabi, Abuja, how a travel agent, Mr Waliyu Aderibigbe Shitta, concealed information and documents to arrange a fake marriage for him in 2022.
Makinde, in his evidence before the court, said the travel agent fraudulently added a woman to his visa application in 2022 as his wife.
He told the court that the travel agent added one Miss Dolapo Afusat Yusuf as his legally married wife.
The travel agent is currently standing trial before the court for allegedly arranging a fraudulent marriage for Miss Dolapo Afusat Yusuf in order to facilitate her travel abroad using the identity of Mr Opeyemi, a Nigerian citizen residing in the United Kingdom.
Led in evidence in chief by the prosecution counsel, R. Abang, Makinde, who is the complainant in the case, said he has zero knowledge of the woman he was said to have been married to.
Makinde, in his evidence before the court, said he submitted a Subject Access Request to the Home Office on 26/03/2024, and after 30 days, the Home Office provided the records.
He said it was a complete shock to him when he discovered the fake marriage through the document he got.
“For the first time in my life, I saw the name Dolapo Afusat Yusuf recorded as my spouse on my own student visa application.
“A woman I have never met, a woman I have never spoken to, a woman whose face I cannot describe, a woman I have zero knowledge of, until government document forced her name into my life and destroyed everything I have worked for. I state categorically under oath that I have never seen this woman, Dolapo Afusat Yusuf.
“In the two PDF document sent to me through my personal mail on the day of my biometrics, the defendant forwarded my visa appointment to my mail. Page 12 of my WhatsApp chat confirms this.
“He was supposed to send three documents to my email address, the appointment, checklist and student visa application for me to clarify it, for the student visa application form.
“The single most important document was deliberately concealed and was never sent to me. Those two documents he sent to me are completely useless. He sent a worthless paper to me to create a false impression that everything was being handled transparently he sent me those useless documents to create the illusion of transparency,” Makinde said.
He further told the court that on May 17, 2024, his solicitor attempted to submit a UK visa application for his wife the second time but the application was refused on June. 7, 2024.
He said the application was refused not because his wife was not qualified or their marriage is not genuine or done anything wrong but because the UK office stated in writing that their record shows that he is legally married in the UK and had a valid marriage certificate.
“My UK solicitor immediately filed an administrative review on June 22, 2024 and every legal step I had taken had cost me money I did not have. In addition I’d entered depression and currently taken anti-depressant drugs.
“On August 8, 20204, the UK government, confirmed what the defendant did to me. The British Home, office confirmed this in writing.
“My visa was cancelled and whenever you are submitting a UK visa application, the UK visa portal requires an applicant to declare whether a third party is assisting with the application.
“The declaration is specific and mandatory. The defendnat without my knowledge and authority maliciously thick the declaration that I was personally completing and submitting the application myself”, The specific declaration he falsely made in my name before the British Government states: By sending this application, you confirm that to the best of your knowledge and belief the following is correct… I am the applicant aged 18 or over,” he said.
The complainant had said in his evidence before the court that he sent a screen record of the email he made and told the defendant the email was wiped when he logged in.
According to him, there was no UK visa application form on the email and the defendant told him he will ask someone in Nigeria to check.
“He came back few days later and told me the document has been deleted because he has a lot of people he is dealing with.
“I called my pastor again to inform him what the defendant told me and my pastor told the Assistant Shepherd Oseni Pascal to call the defendant and the defendant stated that the information in the application was based on the information i had provided throughout my dealing with him.
“| consistently informed him that | was single for the purpose of my student visa application after my wife completed her study, | submitted an application for her on 06/03/2024 so that she can join me in the UK.
“| was working on that day when | received an email from the Home Office and they requested a divorce certificate relating to an alleged previous marriage. I was in shock because I have not been married to anybody, so, immediately, I sent a voice note to the defendant telling him the consequences of what is going on.
“I also screenshot the Home Office correspondence, after viewing it, he blocked me. I called my pastor again, I told him we need to arrest the defendant, my pastor didn’t act on what I said, rather he stopped responding to my massage after the second day,”
The trial has been further adjourned to November 11, 2026.
Travel agent concealed documents to arrange fake marriage for me – UK-based Nigerian tells court