The family home of Mr. Abayomi Aderinsoye Shodipo, convicted in the United Kingdom for marriage certificate forgery, was on Sunday evening attacked by unidentified youths in Ikenne, Ogun State.
Eyewitnesses explained that hostility towards the family intensified after a widely publicised Home Office’s press release claimed that more than 2,000 marriage certificates had been forged.
Although the UK trial evidence later showed that far fewer certificates were involved, the report gained wide coverage in Nigerian newspapers and online, leaving many in the community with the impression that Mr. Shodipo had orchestrated a nationwide fraud.
According to local residents, tensions boiled over after a relative of the Shodipo family was mocked at a neighbourhood bar.
The taunting quickly escalated into a fight, and by evening, a group of young men reportedly gathered at the Shodipo family house, throwing stones, beating those they found inside, and leaving several people injured in the attack.
Neighbours confirmed that fear now hangs over the family.
“Since the news spread, people see them as having disgraced Ikenne,” one resident said, adding: “Even if they move to another town, people have read about it everywhere.”
Observers note that the stigma is not confined to Ikenne.
The situation is ascribed to repeated publicity the claim by the Home Office that 2,000 certificates were forged gained in national and international media platforms, which made the scandal spread well beyond the immediate community.
“This undermines the possibility of internal relocation within Nigeria, as Shodipo’s name has become linked with scandal across the country.
“Concerns have also been raised about the availability of state protection. Attacks on families in rural communities are often treated by Nigerian authorities as local or traditional disputes, leaving victims without meaningful recourse.
“When young men attack under the pretext of defending community honour, the police usually stay away.
“The combination of false international publicity, family harassment, and community violence illustrates the real risk to Mr. Shodipo’s safety if he were returned to Nigeria,” a security expert opined.
