A Nigerian woman based in the United Kingdom, Mrs Olayinka Akinrinola, has strongly contested the guilty verdict handed down to her 18-year-old son, Oluwatobiloba Akinrinola, in a British court, calling the jury’s decision unjust and rooted in racial profiling. The case, which has drawn attention from the Nigerian diaspora, centers on charges of robbery, blackmail, and assault stemming from incidents in North Kilworth and Bath Lane. The young man was found guilty of six counts of blackmail in North Kilworth and three more in Bath Lane, along with four counts of robbery and two counts of actual bodily harm (ABH) against two victims. The sentencing is scheduled for July 17, 2026.
The charges against Oluwatobiloba were linked to a series of violent crimes that began on November 21, 2025, with another incident occurring the following day, November 22, 2025, at Bath Lane. According to British media reports, he was part of a group that broke into a property where a male victim was assaulted with a belt. His alleged accomplice, a 19-year-old named Richile Vagnu, was also charged, while another individual, Ayomide Ibraheem, was apprehended in December 2025 in connection with the same robbery spree.
Mrs Akinrinola, speaking to Diaspora Tales on Friday, insisted her son was not present during the alleged crimes. She argued that her son is being unfairly targeted due to his race and association with others involved in the incidents. “My son is innocent. He is a victim of association and he is being profiled by the police because he is black,” she stated. She pointed out that the victims reported being robbed of jackets and footwear, but none of these items were recovered during a police search of her son’s apartment.
She further highlighted that financial evidence showed money was transferred to the accounts of Vagnu and Ibraheem by the victims, but no such transfers were found in her son’s bank records. This, she said, undermines the prosecution’s case and raises serious questions about the evidence presented in court. The mother’s claims have sparked concern among Nigerian communities in the UK, who see the case as an example of systemic bias in the British justice system.
As the legal process moves toward sentencing, the case continues to draw attention for its implications on race, justice, and due process in the UK. The outcome may influence how Nigerian families and communities perceive the fairness of the British legal system.
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