Four Nigerians defraud British authorities of £10m

Kayode Sanni

British authorities are holding four Nigerians for using the identities of MPs, judges and police officers in a £10m scam, spanning four years.

Adedamola Oyebode, 30, and her brother-in-laws – Oluwatobi Emmanuel Odeyemi, 34, and Oluwagbenga Stephen Odeyemi, 39, – allegedly stole personal details from the Civil Service Sports Council to make fraudulent claims.

The three reportedly ran the scam with one Kayode Sanni, 38.

According to Daily Mail reports, member lists were ‘stolen to order’ from CSSC and used to place orders for tax credit starter packs and managed to get away with nearly £2,500,000 before staff at Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs spotted the ‘extraordinarily high rate’ of claims being made by civil servants.

If the scam had not been stopped it could have reaped more than £10,260,525.

Sanni, an illegal immigrant, denied being involved in the fraud but he was convicted of one count of conspiracy to become knowingly concerned in a fraudulent act between 10 March 2009 and 11 June 2013.

Judge Michael Topolski QC remanded him in custody and said, “I’m quite satisfied at this stage that there is a significant risk that if he were released on bail he would fail to attend.

“In my judgement, the situation has changed drastically. He chose to contest this matter against what I considered to be overwhelming evidence. His incentive to stay in this country has now diminished.”

Emmanuel Odeyemi and Adedamola Oyebode have already pleaded guilty and will be sentenced with Sanni at the Old Bailey on 6 July.

Prosecutors have dropped charges against Emmanuel’s wife Oluwatosin Oyebode.