UK Court Jails Nigerian Couple for ₦750 Million Tax Fraud; HR Staff Stole Colleagues’ Passports and Data to File 139 Fake Rebate Claims in ‘Worst Ever’ TfL Breach

A Nigerian couple in London has “flipped the script” from being trusted professionals to convicted fraudsters in a case that has sent shockwaves through the UK’s transport sector. Luciana and Femi Akanbi were each handed nearly four-year prison sentences for a “sophisticated and greedy” £433,000 tax fraud. The “Solution” to their financial desires involved a “Drill or Drop” betrayal of Luciana’s own colleagues at Transport for London (TfL).

The “Tsunami” of evidence presented at Woolwich Crown Court revealed that Luciana, who had worked in TfL’s HR department since 2017, abused her high-level access to “tinker” with the personal files of 107 employees. In the “digital trenches” of her home, she and her husband used the stolen passports and bank details to create a web of 139 fraudulent tax rebate claims. Judge David Miller did not hold back in his ruling, stating that the couple’s actions caused a “collapse in morale” among the staff whose identities were exploited.

The “Renewed Hope” for the couple to escape justice vanished when investigators traced the money laundering trail. While the total value of their attempted “heist” reached almost £650,000, they successfully pocketed over £433,000 before the net closed in. The court heard that a chunk of the proceeds was lost to gambling a defense the judge rejected as an excuse for the calculated nature of the crime.

As the 2027 political cycle in Nigeria continues to highlight issues of integrity and diaspora reputation, this case serves as a grim reminder of the consequences of “insider threats.” For the victims at TfL, today’s sentencing brings an end to a four-year nightmare of identity theft. The message from the UK court is clear: using your position to harvest the data of your peers for a “get rich quick” scheme will lead directly to a prison cell.