Parents challenge UK court ruling against Nigerian student

The parents of a Nigerian student convicted of robbery and blackmail by a United Kingdom court have appealed to British authorities to review the judgment, insisting that their son was wrongly found guilty and had no involvement in the offences.

Mr Aderinkola Akinrinola and Mrs Olayinka Akinrinola made the appeal in a statement on Thursday following the conviction of their son, Oluwatobiloba Akinrinola, by a UK court on June 19.

Oluwatobiloba, who is currently being held at a prison in Nottingham, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 27.

The distraught parents maintained that the conviction was based largely on circumstantial evidence and their son’s association with the principal suspect rather than direct evidence linking him to the alleged robbery.

According to them, Oluwatobiloba met the alleged ringleader, Richile Vagnu, shortly after gaining admission into Leicester University in September 2025, stressing that they were merely 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 stated.

They claimed that although their son attended the party where the robbery allegedly occurred on November 21, 2025, he neither participated in the attack nor benefited from the proceeds.

According to the family, some of the victims testified during the trial that Oluwatobiloba was not among those who robbed them.

They alleged that he briefly entered the room where the incident was taking place, questioned what was happening, and left after indicating that he did not want to be involved.

The parents further claimed that none of the stolen items allegedly taken from victims, including jackets and footwear, was recovered from their son’s residence during police searches.

They also said investigators found evidence of money transfers made by victims to bank accounts allegedly linked to other suspects but discovered no such transactions involving Oluwatobiloba’s accounts.

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“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 our son’s bank records,” they said.

The family further alleged that CCTV footage tendered during the trial only showed Oluwatobiloba arriving at the venue of the party and did not place him at the scene of the alleged robbery.

They also questioned why some suspects allegedly identified by victims were not produced during the court proceedings.

According to the parents, one of the victims reportedly testified that Oluwatobiloba appeared to be trying to assist those affected rather than participating in the crime.

The family said their son voluntarily contacted the police after seeing a social media video linking him to the incident.

They claimed officers informed him at the time that he was not considered a suspect and therefore did not require him to report immediately.

“Our son is a calm and sociable young man who has never been linked to any criminal activity before now.

“We are devastated. We simply want the world to hear our side of the story. Our son is about to suffer for a crime he did not commit. His life is about to be destroyed for something he did not do.

“We want the UK government to review the case and ensure that justice is done,” the couple said.

They appealed to the relevant UK authorities, legal institutions and human rights organisations to examine the circumstances surrounding the conviction and ensure that justice is served.

The case is expected to return to court on July 27 for sentencing.