(Oluwatobiloba Akinrinola. Photo Credit: Punch News)
Oluwatobiloba Akinrinola, a 19-year-old Nigerian student studying in the UK, and another man were sentenced to a total of 18 years in prison after a judge found them guilty of taking part in a robbery and blackmail scheme in which victims were humiliated, @ss@ulted, and captured on camera on social media.
Akinrinola, of Slippers Place, London, was sentenced to seven years in prison on Monday at Leicester Crown Court, while Richile Vangu, 20, was given an 11-year prison sentence with an additional three-year extended license period, according to a British broadcaster.
The court heard that the pair were involved in a planned att@ck on partygoers at a gathering in North Kilworth, Leicestershire, on November 21, 2025.
Prosecutors said the victims were threatened with a knife, robbed of designer items and forced to perform a dance for TikTok while the suspects filmed 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, describing Akinrinola as subservient to Vangu but noting that he 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.
Following the party, some victims were allegedly taken to student accommodation on Bath Lane, Leicester, where further @ss@ults reportedly took place.
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 t0rture and humiliation, adding that Vangu showed a complete absence of empathy towards the victims.
Vangu later posted videos from the incidents online, 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, while Akinrinola was convicted of nine counts of blackmail, four counts of robbery and two counts of actual bodily harm, and 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.
It was earlier reported that Akinrinola’s parents had appealed to British authorities to review their son’s conviction, insisting he was wrongly convicted and 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, explaining that he only met Vangu after gaining admission into Leicester University in September 2025 and describing them as mere acquaintances.
They maintained that their son is innocent of the charges, insisting that the case against him amounted to guilt by association with the main suspect.
They claimed he attended the party but did not take part in the robbery or benefit from any proceeds, adding that some victims had testified during the trial that he was not among those who robbed them.
The family further 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 also alleged that CCTV footage only showed him arriving at the party venue and did not place him at the scene of the robbery, adding that he 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.