Theft Case: Family Demands Reexamination of British Court Ruling Against Nigerian Teenager

The parents of Oluwatobiloba Akinrinola, a Nigerian student convicted of robbery and blackmail in the United Kingdom, are seeking a review of the verdict, maintaining that their son is innocent and was wrongly convicted. Mr Aderinkola Akinrinola and Mrs Olayinka Akinrinola made this appeal in a statement released in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Thursday, following their son's conviction by a UK court on June 19, 2026.

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Oluwatobiloba Akinrinola is currently being held in a prison in Nottingham, pending his sentencing, which is scheduled for July 27, after being found guilty by the UK court. The parents claim that the conviction was largely based on circumstantial evidence and their son's association with the principal suspect, Richile Vagnu.

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According to the parents, their son met Richile Vagnu in October 2025, after resuming his studies as a first-year student at Leicester University in September 2025, and they were merely acquaintances. The parents stated that their son was present at the party where the incident took place, but he was never involved in the robbery.

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The parents alleged that some of the victims testified in court that Oluwatobiloba was not among those who robbed them, and that he only briefly entered the room where the incident occurred, asked what was happening, and left after making it clear that he did not want to be involved. They also claimed that investigators found evidence of money transfers made by victims to accounts linked to other suspects, but found no such transactions in their son's bank records.

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The parents further claimed that CCTV footage presented during the trial did not place their son at the scene of the alleged robbery, apart from showing him arriving at the party. They also alleged that the police were unable to produce some of the suspects in court because they allegedly failed to honour police invitations.

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One of the victims testified that Oluwatobiloba appeared to be trying to assist those affected, rather than participating in the crime, according to the parents. They disclosed that shortly after the incident, their son came across a social media video that allegedly linked him to the attack.

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Concerned by the allegations, Oluwatobiloba reportedly contacted the police voluntarily and offered to present himself for questioning, and officers informed him at the time that he was not considered a suspect. The parents described their son as a calm and sociable young man with no previous criminal record.

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The parents appealed to the UK authorities to re-examine the case, and also called on relevant authorities, legal institutions, and human rights organisations to look into the circumstances surrounding the conviction and ensure that justice is served. They stated that their son, Oluwatobiloba Akinrinola, was wrongfully convicted of robbery and blackmail.

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The statement read in part, "Our son, Oluwatobiloba Akinrinola, was wrongfully convicted of robbery and blackmail by the UK government on June 19, 2026, and has been remanded in Nottingham Prison pending sentencing on July 27, 2026. The police argument against him is that he is guilty by association with the prime suspect, Richile Vagnu.

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The only evidence presented in court against their son is a picture he took with Richile Vagnu, the prime suspect, and CCTV footage showing him entering the venue of the party where the robbery took place on November 21, 2025. Oluwatobiloba Akinrinola met Richile Vagnu in October 2025, after resuming school in September as a fresher at Leicester University, and they were, at best, acquaintances.

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The parents' statement added that while their son was present at the party where the robbery took place, he was never part of the robbery, and some of the victims also confirmed this in court. As recorded in his statement, he briefly entered the room where the robbery was taking place, questioned the prime suspect about what was happening, and then left, insisting that he did not want to be part of it.

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The robbery victims said they were robbed of their jackets and footwear, and none of the items was found in their son's possession after police searched his apartment. The police said they found evidence that money was transferred by the victims to the accounts of the other suspects, Vagnu and Ayomide Ibraheem, but no such evidence was found in their son's bank records.

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The court insists their son is guilty but allowed other suspects to go scot-free, including Ayomide Ibraheem, whom victims identified as the person preventing them from leaving the room during the robbery. In all the CCTV footage played by the police in court, their son did not appear at the scene of the crime, and he was only seen entering the party.

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The police also failed to produce the other suspects in court, despite allegations that they received money from the victims, and the police said they did not honour invitations. Victims testified that their son was not involved, and in fact, one of the victims said he was trying to help them.

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A few days after the robbery incident, their son saw a misleading video online posted by a TikTok influencer linking him to the attack, and he immediately contacted the police and told them he was willing to come in for questioning because he was not involved in the robbery. The police told him not to bother because he was not a suspect.

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Their son is a calm and sociable young man who has never been linked to any criminal activity before now, and the parents are devastated. They simply want the world to hear their side of the story, and their son is about to suffer for a crime he did not commit, and his life is about to be destroyed for something he did not do.

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The parents want the UK government to review the case and ensure that justice is done, and they are calling for help to clear their son's name. They stated that they want the world to know that their son is innocent and was wrongly convicted.