By Bilesanmi Abayomi
A United Kingdom-based Nigerian, Mr. Emmanuel Makinde, has accused his travel agent, Waliyu Shitta, of fraudulently listing another woman as his wife in a UK visa application without his knowledge or consent.
Makinde made the allegation on Thursday while testifying before Justice Ademuyiwa Oyeyipo of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Jabi, Abuja. He told the court that the defendant inserted the name of Miss Dolapo Yusuf as his legally married wife during the processing of his UK student visa application in 2022.
According to Makinde, Shitta was introduced to him by his pastor, Mr. Aregbesola Sanyanolu of the Celestial Church of Christ, Jerusalem Parish, Ado-Ekiti. He maintained that throughout the visa application process, he consistently informed the travel agent that he was single and was applying for the visa alone.
Makinde said the issue came to light after his wife completed her studies in 2024 and he applied for her to join him in the United Kingdom. He explained that while at work, he received an email from the UK Home Office requesting evidence that his previous marriage had been legally dissolved by a competent court.
“I immediately sent a voice note to the defendant together with a screenshot of the Home Office email, explaining the consequences of the message I had received. After viewing the message, the defendant blocked me on WhatsApp,” he told the court.
He further testified that he sought assistance from his pastor and suggested reporting the matter to security authorities for the defendant’s arrest. However, he said the pastor subsequently stopped responding to his calls and messages.
Makinde said he later informed the UK Home Office that he had never been married to any woman other than his current wife. Despite his explanation, his wife’s visa application was refused because UK authorities believed he already had an existing marriage record in the country.
“Two days later, I replied to the Home Office and informed them that I had never been married to any woman other than my wife. The visa application was refused because the Home Office believed that I already had a marriage on record in the United Kingdom,” he said.
The witness also told the court that during the original visa application process, Shitta instructed him to answer “yes” when asked during his biometric appointment whether he had uploaded additional documents. He insisted that he never authorised the defendant to include Miss Yusuf as his wife or add any dependant to his application.
Justice Oyeyipo subsequently adjourned the matter until October 7, 2026, for the continuation of Makinde’s evidence.
The defendant, Waliyu Shitta, is being prosecuted by the police over allegations that he falsely listed Miss Dolapo Yusuf as Makinde’s wife in a visa application in an attempt to facilitate her travel abroad.