Nigerian doctor fraud case ends with a three-year UK sentence after he claimed sick leave while secretly working night shifts at other hospitals

In reported speech, authorities said that the Nigerian doctor fraud case involving Dr Richard Akinrolabu has led to a three-year prison sentence after a sweeping NHS Counter Fraud Authority investigation uncovered deliberate deception worth more than £268,000.

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The NHS stated that Akinrolabu, a 61-year-old specialist registrar in obstetrics and gynaecology, repeatedly told his employer he was medically unfit to work night or on-call duties.

Despite those claims, evidence later showed he was secretly taking the same shifts at three other NHS trusts between 2018 and 2021 while still receiving full pay from King’s College Hospital.

Officials explained that the breakthrough moment came in late 2021, when reports emerged that he was working night duties at Basildon Hospital.

Counter fraud teams swiftly traced timesheets and payroll records which confirmed a persistent pattern of unauthorised night work.

Investigators added that Akinrolabu declined to comment during a formal interview in 2022, even as proof mounted that the majority of his secondary shifts were the very duties he said he was too unwell to perform.

King’s College Hospital continued paying his full salary and still had to hire locum doctors to cover the shifts he avoided.

In court, Judge David Miller delivered a powerful rebuke, saying the public expects honesty from medical professionals and describing the doctor’s behaviour as a serious breach of trust.

Ben Harrison, Head of Operations at the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, said the case represented a deliberate abuse of the system and warned that fraud drains vital resources meant for patient care.

He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to ensuring such exploitation is uncovered and punished.

The Nigerian doctor fraud conviction joins a rising number of international cases involving fraudulent activity by individuals abroad, reinforcing the need for stronger professional accountability.

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Dr Akinrolabu’s downfall illustrates a compelling and cautionary example of how trust, once broken in the health sector, carries severe and lasting consequences.