By Peter.
A notorious 10-man robbery ring, including four Nigerian nationals, that unleashed a wave of terror on London’s mobile stores has been handed a collective 55-year prison haul by Kingston Crown Court, authorities announced this week. The brazen outfit, which pilfered £240,000 worth of premium smartphones through violent smash-and-grabs, pleaded guilty to their roles in a spree that left shop workers traumatized and businesses reeling.
The crew zeroed in on at least 13 outlets—predominantly EE branches—from September to November 2024, hitting spots like Putney High Street, Clapham, Notting Hill, and Holloway Road. Masked intruders burst in wielding threats of knives and beatings, compelling staff to unlock fortified vaults before fleeing with hauls of iPhones, Samsung flagships, and gadgets. One chilling account detailed a thug pressing a blade to an employee’s throat, snarling demands for compliance amid the chaos.
Scotland Yard’s crackdown began with forensic sleuthing: DNA traces on discarded gloves, phone pings from burner cells, and ANPR camera captures of getaway vans wove a damning web. Tipped off to a brewing hit, officers staged a cinematic bust on November 19, 2024, storming an EE in Kilburn mid-heist and nabbing four suspects red-handed—bodycam footage later showed the frantic scramble as cuffs clicked. Raids on linked pads in Dartford, Woolwich, and Gravesend unearthed stashes of swiped tech and incriminating ledgers.
Eight of the plotters copped to conspiracy to rob on January 30, 2025, sealing their fate with swift sentencings last Friday, November 7. The full breakdown:
| Defendant | Address | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| James Adodo | St Martins Road, Dartford, Kent | 10 years |
| David Okewole | Vale Road, Northfleet, Kent | 7 years 6 months |
| Michael Babo | Gilbert Close, Woolwich | 6 years 10 months |
| David Akintola | Samuel Street, Woolwich | 6 years 6 months |
| Robert Hills | Mayfield Road, Gravesend, Kent | 5 years 3 months |
| Ayomide Olaribiro | Warrior Square, Manor Park | 4 years 6 months |
| Olabiyi Obasa | Norfolk Close, Dartford, Kent | 3 years 6 months |
| Nelson Joel | St Martins Road, Dartford, Kent | 3 years 3 months |
Two others faced lesser counts: Laville Bloise of Goldcrest Close, Thamesmead, drew a two-year suspended term for attempted robbery, while Mushtakim Miah of Artillery Place, Woolwich, copped 8 years 6 months after a trial conviction.
The Met’s lead investigator, DC Stephen O’Connell, hailed the haul as a body blow to organized theft rings plaguing the capital—where over 106,000 phones vanished in the prior year alone. “These cowards preyed on hardworking folks; we’re ripping their networks apart,” he vowed. BT Group’s Alex Towers echoed the relief, crediting detectives for restoring some faith in frontline safety.
This bust underscores a darkening trend: Nigerians overseas increasingly ensnared in high-profile UK convictions. Just last week, Chiemka Okoronta, a 29-year-old Nigerian grad student branded a “dangerous sexual predator,” was slapped with 10 years for the brutal rape of a 17-year-old girl he lured to his Bradford flat after her phone died on a late-night bus. Judge Sophie McKone sealed his fate with lifelong sex offender status and imminent deportation post-sentence, spotlighting the “sustained horror” of the March 2025 assault where he locked her in a bathroom and struck repeatedly. The victim, who bolted to safety and dialed 999 from a stranger’s line, drew praise from detectives for her courage amid the ordeal.
As London grapples with its “phone theft epidemic,” these cases signal a zero-tolerance pivot—but at what cost to diaspora trust?
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