UK-based Nigerian student bags seven-year jail term for robbery, blackmail

A 19-year-old Nigerian student studying in the United Kingdom, Oluwatobiloba Akinrinola, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in a violent robbery and blackmail operation that targeted partygoers, assaulted victims, and recorded the attacks for social media.

Akinrinola, who lives in Slippers Place, London, was sentenced on Monday by the Leicester Crown Court, Very Nigerian reports.

His accomplice, 20-year-old Richile Vangu, received an 11-year prison sentence along with an additional three-year extended licence period.

The court heard that both men took part in a carefully planned attack during a party held in North Kilworth, Leicestershire, on November 21, 2025.

During the incident, victims were reportedly robbed, physically assaulted, humiliated, and forced to endure abuse while the attackers recorded the acts.

The videos were later used as part of a blackmail scheme and shared on social media.

Prosecutors said the victims were threatened with a knife, robbed of designer items and forced to perform a dance for TikTok while the suspects recorded them.

The court was told that Vangu, who introduced himself as “Trixta”, demanded that each victim transfer £1,000 and threatened to stab them if they refused.

Judge Steven Evans said Vangu had planned the robbery and recruited others, including Akinrinola, to assist him.

The judge said Akinrinola was “subservient” to Vangu but played “an essential part” in the offences.

The court heard that at least eight men were forced into a bedroom during the incident, where they were threatened with a large “zombie-style knife” while their belongings were taken.

After the party incident, some of the victims were allegedly taken to student accommodation in Bath Lane, Leicester, where further assaults occurred.

The prosecution said Akinrinola forced some victims to perform physical exercises, including star jumps and high knees, before repeatedly punching them.

Vangu was also accused of whipping victims with a belt, shooting them with a BB gun, waxing their faces and threatening to cut off their dreadlocks if they failed to pay him.

The judge described the acts as “torture” and humiliation, adding that Vangu showed a “complete absence of empathy” towards the victims.

Vangu later posted videos from the incidents on TikTok, which were used as evidence during the trial.

He was convicted of four counts of robbery, 10 counts of blackmail and one count of actual bodily harm.

Akinrinola was convicted of nine counts of blackmail, four counts of robbery and two counts of actual bodily harm, while he was acquitted of one count of blackmail.

Two other men arrested in connection with the incident, Benjamin Osadolor, 19, of Northampton, and Ayomide Ibraheem, 19, of London, were found not guilty of all charges.

Very Nigerian had earlier reported that Akinrinola’s parents appealed to British authorities to review their son’s conviction, insisting that he was wrongly convicted and was not involved in the offences.

In a statement issued before sentencing, Aderinkola Akinrinola and Olayinka Akinrinola argued that their son’s conviction was based largely on circumstantial evidence and his association with Vangu.

They said their son only met Vangu after gaining admission into Leicester University in September 2025 and described them as acquaintances.

“Our son is innocent of the charges against him. The police argument against him is that he is guilty by association with the prime suspect,” the parents said.

They claimed Akinrinola attended the party but did not participate in the robbery or benefit from any proceeds.

According to them, some victims testified during the trial that their son was not among those who robbed them.

The family also claimed that no stolen items were recovered from his residence and that investigators found no evidence of money transfers from victims into his accounts.

They further alleged that CCTV footage only showed him arriving at the party venue and did not place him at the scene of the robbery.

The parents said their son voluntarily contacted the police after seeing videos linking him to the incident and appealed for a review of the case.

However, following the trial, the court convicted Akinrinola and sentenced him alongside Vangu for their roles in the offences.

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