Nigerian student gets seven-year jail term in UK for robbery, extortion

A Leicester Crown Court in the United Kingdom has sentenced two students, including a 19-year-old Nigerian, to lengthy prison terms after convicting them of robbery, blackmail and assault in a disturbing case that saw victims forced to perform dances at knifepoint.

According to the BBC, Judge Steven Evans on Monday sentenced 20-year-old Richile Vangu to 11 years in prison, while Oluwatobiloba Akinrinola, a 19-year-old Nigerian student, was jailed for seven years for his role in the crimes.

The offences stemmed from an incident at a house party in North Kilworth, Leicestershire, on November 21, 2025, where the pair and their associates targeted partygoers in what prosecutors described as a carefully planned operation.

The court heard that Vangu orchestrated the scheme by recruiting a group of men, including Akinrinola, with the intention of intimidating guests, extorting money from them and forcing them to participate in dances that were later shared on social media.

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During the attack, at least eight male victims were reportedly forced into a bedroom, where they were threatened with a large knife while their designer clothing and an iPhone were stolen.

Judge Evans heard that Vangu demanded £1,000 from each victim, threatening to stab anyone who refused to pay before compelling them to perform TikTok dances.

Victims who were unable to transfer the money immediately were instructed to report later that day to a student accommodation on Bath Lane.

At the accommodation, Akinrinola was found to have forced some of the victims to perform physical exercises, including star jumps and high knees, before repeatedly punching them.

The court also heard that Vangu assaulted several victims by whipping them with a belt, shooting them in the head with a BB gun and threatening to cut off their dreadlocks if they failed to hand over money.

Videos recorded during both the house party and the later incidents at the student accommodation were subsequently posted on TikTok.

In delivering judgment, Judge Evans described Akinrinola as being “subservient” to Vangu but ruled that he nonetheless played “an essential part” in carrying out the offences.

Following the trial, Vangu was convicted on four counts of robbery, 10 counts of blackmail and one count of actual bodily harm.

Akinrinola was convicted of nine counts of blackmail, four counts of robbery and two counts of actual bodily harm. He was acquitted on one count of blackmail.