19-year-old UK-based Nigerian student jailed for robbery, blackmail

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A 19-year-old Nigerian student in the United Kingdom, Oluwatobiloba Akinrinola, and another man have been jailed for a combined 18 years after a court found them guilty of participating in a robbery and blackmail plot in which victims were assaulted, humiliated and filmed for social media.

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According to the BBC, Akinrinola, of Slippers Place, London, was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment on Monday at Leicester Crown Court, while 20-year-old Richile Vangu was handed an 11-year jail term with an additional three-year extended licence period.

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The court heard that the pair were involved in a planned attack on partygoers at a gathering in North Kilworth, Leicestershire, on November 21, 2025.

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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.

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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.

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

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

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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.

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

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

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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.

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

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

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

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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.

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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.

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PUNCH Online 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.

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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.

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

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“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.

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

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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