UK Court Jails Nigerian Doctor Richard Akinrolabu Three Years for £268,000 NHS Fraud
The United Kingdom National Health Service Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) has announced the conviction of a Nigerian doctor, Dr. Richard Akinrolabu, who was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for offences bordering on fraud by false representation amounting to £268,000.
According to a statement published on the NHSCFA website, Akinrolabu, 61, was employed as a trust grade specialist registrar in obstetrics and gynaecology at the Princess Royal University Hospital. Between 2018 and 2021, he repeatedly claimed ill‑health to avoid night shifts and on‑call duties. However, investigations revealed that he was simultaneously working those same shifts at other hospitals, thereby defrauding his primary employer.
The court heard that while King’s College Hospital (KCH) continued to pay his full salary and engaged locum doctors to cover his absence, Akinrolabu secretly undertook additional employment at three other NHS trusts. Evidence from payroll and timesheets confirmed that most of these shifts were night duties, directly contradicting his claims of being medically unfit.
Following intelligence received in 2021, the local counter fraud team at KCH initiated inquiries, which were later escalated to the NHSCFA. Despite being invited for interview in 2022, Akinrolabu declined to comment. He was subsequently arraigned before Woolwich Crown Court on a four‑count indictment of fraud by false representation. In September 2025, he pleaded guilty to all counts, and on November 4, 2025, he was sentenced.
In delivering judgment, His Honour Judge David Miller observed: “You lied to occupational health, your colleagues and your employer. The public doesn’t expect doctors to lie for personal gain.”
The NHSCFA Head of Operations, Ben Harrison, described the case as a deliberate abuse of trust, stressing that funds lost to fraud should have supported patient care. He reaffirmed the Authority’s commitment to ensuring accountability within the NHS.
This conviction adds to a growing list of Nigerians prosecuted abroad for fraudulent practices. In September 2025, British authorities arrested Farouk Adekunle Adepoju following a request from the United States, where he faces charges of wire fraud and computer fraud linked to a Pennsylvania construction company.
