Nigeria Content Online

A Nigerian man and
a French woman were jailed today in the United Kingdom after they
pleaded guilty to a sham marriage. According to a United Kingdom Border
Agency investigation, a Nigerian man, Moshood Samusi, was alleged to
have overstayed his visa, and he and his French bride, Landry Tra, were
sentenced to serve two and a half years each.

Mr. Samusi is the
sixth Nigerian to be convicted of sham marriages in an ongoing special
operation to stop arranged marriages by foreigners in their plans to
become UK citizens. Mr. Samusi and his wife pleaded guilty to
immigration offences at Northampton Crown Court and will also be
deported when they are through serving their sentences.

In a statement
signed by Toby Allanson, UK Border Agency, Regional Press Officer –
East: “Their convictions were said to have brought the total cases of
such fake marriages, combined sentences for all 12 people apprehended
during Operation Sandford, which kicked off in March, to more than 26
years.” Mr. Samusi, who is 39, and 21-year-old Ms. Tra were allegedly
arrested by officers from the UK Border Agency’s immigration crime team
on March 14 while their marriage ceremony was underway in St Michael’s
Church, Perry Street, Northampton.

The statement also
says that “Ms. Tra admitted that she agreed to marry Samusi for a
payment of £3,500. Samusi of Fairmead House, Hackney, hoped that his
marriage to a French national would assist his application to remain in
the UK.” Damian Green, Minister for Immigration, however said that he
welcomed their conviction and expected it to send a clear signal to
anyone considering a fake marriage,

“Today’s
convictions send a clear message to anyone considering breaking our
immigration laws that Britain is no longer a soft touch. We now have
specialist teams of immigration and police officers working day in day
out to tackle and prosecute people who commit this form of organised
criminality.

“I have tasked the
UK Border Agency with carrying out an intense period of enforcement
activity over the summer to tackle the most problematic routes – bogus
colleges and organised traffickers as well as illegal working and sham
marriages.

“We are determined
to create a hostile environment which makes it harder than ever for
illegal immigrants to come to the UK and put untold pressures on our
public services.” Also, the UK Border Agency assistant director, Sam
Bullimore, said that “Tackling sham marriage is a top priority for us
and our immigration crime teams are working hard to create a hostile
environment for those who break the immigration laws.

“We are working
closely with registrars and the Church to identify suspect marriages.
Where there is evidence to suggest that a wedding may be bogus we will
investigate and, where necessary, intervene to stop it happening.

“People should be
under no illusion that marriage is enough to get permission to stay in
the UK. Their relationship has to be genuine. If it’s not, they will
face prosecution or deportation.” The Operation Sandford put in place
by the agency has however uncovered a series of sham marriages taking
place at Holy Sepulchre and St Michaels churches, mainly between West
Africans and EU nationals from countries including France, Portugal and
Holland.

According to the agency, “Any non-EEA foreign criminal sentenced to
more than 12 months in prison for any offence automatically faces
deportation action. Anyone who suspects someone of committing
immigration related crime should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
where anonymity can be assured.”