A Nigerian couple, Luciana and Femi Akanbi, have been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison in the United Kingdom for orchestrating a large-scale tax fraud that siphoned over £433,000 from public funds using stolen personal data.
According to a report by KentLive, the sentencing was delivered at Woolwich Crown Court, where prosecutors detailed how the couple exploited sensitive employee information from Transport for London to defraud HM Revenue and Customs through false tax rebate claims.
The fraud, carried out between September 2021 and January 2022, resulted in losses exceeding £433,000 to public funds, although the total value of fraudulent claims submitted was close to £650,000.
What they are saying
Delivering judgment, Judge David Miller described the case as the most severe data breach in the history of Transport for London, noting the wide-ranging impact on staff and institutional systems.
- “TFL suffered its worst-ever data breach. It meant they had to change their systems,” he said.
- “It affected their morale, I am told, and staff performance. You acquired and used the personal details of 40 employees… There were 139 claims for tax rebates totalling just under £649,000.”
He added that the fraud caused “immense damage to third parties,” particularly employees whose financial records and credit ratings were affected.
More insights
The court heard that Luciana Akanbi, who worked in TfL’s human resources department, accessed the personal data of 107 employees, which was then used to file 139 fraudulent claims using multiple devices.
Judge Miller emphasised that the crime was only possible due to her position of trust within the organisation.
- “You… had been colleagues with some of these people who were extremely badly let down,” he said.
Evidence also revealed that the stolen funds were quickly dispersed through a complex money laundering network, with more than £50,000 reportedly funneled into gambling accounts.
The judge noted that financial pressure, including Femi Akanbi’s gambling issues following illness during the COVID-19 pandemic, contributed to the crime.
What you should know
The case adds to a growing list of fraud-related prosecutions involving Nigerian nationals abroad.
- In September last year, Farouk Adekunle Adepoju was arrested in the UK following a U.S. extradition request over alleged wire and computer fraud totaling more than $235,000.
- In February 2026, Matthew Akande was sentenced to eight years in prison and ordered to pay $1.39 million in restitution for his role in a U.S. tax fraud scheme.
Similarly, Afeez Olatunji Adewale was extradited from Nigeria in February 2026 over sexual extortion and related financial crimes in Pennsylvania.
In August 2025, Chukwuemeka Victor Amachukwu was extradited from France for alleged tax fraud, hacking, and wire fraud targeting U.S. authorities.
